Live music picks for WEDNESDAY JANUARY 26 through TUESDAY FEBRUARY 1, 2011.

WEDNESDAY JANUARY 26 / ROBYN / SOUND ACADEMY / 11 POLSON ST / SOLD OUT / ALL AGES
Swedish pop sensation Robyn brings her futuristic dance tracks to a sold-out Sound Academy. Robyn topped many 2010 best lists with three albums last year, so crowds will expect a powerful, high energy show full of euphoric anthems like "Dancing on my Own" and "With Every Heartbeat" to shake the dance floor. Toronto breakout artist Diamond Rings - who is excited to have been chosen to open for Robyn across her North American tour - has lost sleep waiting for this show. Electro-hip hop artist Natalia Kills also joins the party.

THURSDAY JANUARY 27 / THE REST / RANCHO RELAXO / 300 COLLEGE ST / $6 / 19+
Hamilton's The Rest comes to the Rancho Relaxo, bringing the new track "John Huston" (a tribute to the late director and actor) along with new songs off their upcoming album, Seesaw. You can download the track for free on their Bandcamp page and watch the song performed on Southern Souls. Joining The Rest are Toronto's Ketch Harbour Wolves and Beware! The Leopard, as well as Brooklyn's Blackbells.

FRIDAY JANUARY 28 / DAS RACIST / WRONGBAR / 1279 QUEEN ST W / SOLD OUT / 19+
Rap group Das Racist, known for their unconventional, comedic rhymes, hits the stage at Wrongbar Friday night. Their viral mixtapes Shut Up, Dude and Sit Down, Man were one of my favourite free downloadable albums last year. And whether you hear their music as college humour or cultural satire, their style's entertaining, reminiscent of legends Beastie Boys and A Tribe Called Quest. Toronto's Blake Carrington and DJ Patrick McGuire join the show line-up.

SATURDAY JANUARY 29 / THE BESNARD LAKES / LEE'S PALACE / 529 BLOOR ST W / $15 / 19+
Montreal's The Besnard Lakes had a great year with their third album Are The Roaring Night, which made the Polaris 2010 shortlist. And when you look at their third album's cover with its flaming waters, airplane crashing and mountains and power lines in complete disarray, you know the album's going to scream and roar. Songs like "Albatross" and "Glass Printer" remain on high-rotation in my playlist and should mesmerize audiences at Lee's. Opening for them will be Suuns and Valleys.

TUESDAY FEBRUARY 1 / THE DECEMBERISTS / SOUND ACADEMY / 11 POLSON ST / $32.00 / ALL AGES
Sound Academy hosts folk-country band The Decemberists on Tuesday night, and opening for them will be indie-rock duo Wye Oak. The Decemberists released their sixth studio album The King is Dead last week, which features contributions from Gillian Welch and David Rawlings, along with R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck. Be ready for crowd sing-alongs led by Decemberists front-man Colin Meloy, known as a master at crowd interaction.

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Lead photo of Robyn by Johannes Granseth.