Music

Pop & Jazz

Previews by August Brown (A.B.), Randy Lewis (R.L.), Chris Barton (C.B.) and Margaret Wappler (M.W.). The Magnetic Fields Conceived as a companion piece to 2008’s “Distortion,� songwriter-frontman Stephin Merritt’s “Realism� is a folk album that aims to test the ideas of authenticity and sincerity, which have been automatically associated with the genre since the first troubadour wandered the hills with a guitar. There are times where the detachment works. The closing number, “From a Sinking Boat,� is a gorgeously sorrowful resignation. It’s an instance where Merritt’s disinterest sounds like self-protection, as if he were steeling himself for the impending loss. (M.W.) Wilshire Ebell Theatre, 4401 W. 8th St., L.A. Tue., 7 p.m. $30. (323) 939-1128.

Midlake The Texas band’s “The Trials of Van Occupanther� resurrected the much maligned trope of “soft rock� and deployed it to surprisingly winning ends. Its rock wasn’t soft -- rather, its softness rocked. With “The Courage of Others,� the band’s gone even bigger, broadening its production palette while keep its knack for instantly endearing melodies intact. (A.B.) El Rey Theatre, 5515 Wilshire Blvd., L.A. Wed., 8 p.m. $14. (323) 936-4790.

Bon Jovi “Who’s gonna work for the working man?� wonders Jon Bon Jovi on the new album by the long-running outfit that bears his name. Well, Bon Jovi is up to the job: On “The Circle,� this band of Jersey boys makes a recession-appropriate return (after appealing forays into pop and country) to its old blue-collar arena-rock style; “Work for the Working Man� even recycles the pumping talk-box groove from the band’s 1986 smash “Livin’ on a Prayer,� and lifts the factory-floor sound effects from Billy Joel’s “Allentown� for good measure. (R.L.) Staples Center, 1111 S. Figueroa St., L.A. Thu., 7 p.m. $15-$135. (213) 742-7300.

Galactic Always steeped in the second-line pulse of its native New Orleans, Galactic’s “Ya-Ka-May� calls on a multitude of Crescent City voices for a funky and original late-night travelogue. The band’s skills as a jazz-funk party act excel in rollicking guest spots from Jazz Fest favorites the Rebirth Brass Band, Allen Toussaint and Irma Thomas (whose swampily soulful “Heart of Steel� is a highlight). But it’s Galactic’s foray into “bounce,� New Orleans’ nascent hip-hop sound, that really turns heads. (C.B.) El Rey Theatre, 5515 Wilshire Blvd., L.A. Thu., 8 p.m. $23. (323) 936-4790.