BANDS

Friendly assist

The intoxicating beauty of Mia Doi Todd’s fifth album, “Manzanita” (due Tuesday), owes not only to her characteristically vivid songwriting. Oh, her confessionals still have the neck-snapping headiness of poetry reading, but on this album, which marks her return to indie label Plug Research, her palette is broad and her brush strokes varied.

Credit Mia’s All-Stars for help with the arrangements. Produced with Brent Rademaker and Rob Campanella, “Manzanita” features contributions from members of Beachwood Sparks, the Tyde, Dead Medow, Future Pigeon and the Brian Jonestown Massacre.

“When I write the songs it’s just for voice and guitar; I’m not really thinking about [arrangements],” Todd says. “The song has to function solo, but when you record it you have all these other options. It could go a million different ways, and in recording this the songs just revealed themselves.”

Todd, cut loose a year and a half ago from Columbia after one album (“The Golden State,” 2002) for the major label, will perform every Monday this month at the Echo, shows sure to attract some of her collaborators as fans. Says Todd, “It was magical to have my friends play on the album.”

Line goes full circle

They Walk in Line has come full circle. Members of the L.A.-based quartet dabbled in goth, metal, punk and all manner of rock before arriving at a sound that suited their moody songs. That turned out to be the textured guitar rock of the bands they liked growing up -- like My Bloody Valentine, Sonic Youth, Ride, the Jesus and Mary Chain and Spacemen 3.

“It’s been a strange road,” says singer-guitarist Michael Romero. “You almost expect to evolve outward, but in a way we came back to where we started -- not that that’s true about the songwriting.”

After earning attention by releasing EPs in 2003 and 2004, the group -- which includes guitarist Kevin Kolpien, bassist Paul Bayze and drummer Niaz Chakravarty -- was signed in November to Rock Ridge Music, an indie label with wide distribution. TWIL will mark Tuesday’s release of its debut album, “Medical Necessities,” with a series of shows starting Wednesday at Spaceland.

Fast forward

* Live hip-hop sometimes takes on a karaoke feel, with its sterile samples and canned beats. Not so with Heiruspecs, who perform Sunday at the Knitting Factory in support of last fall’s “A Tiger Dancing.” The Minneapolis quintet (two MCs and three musicians) do it all live, conjuring a Jurassic 5-like sound.

* Residencies are generally early-in-the-week affairs. But Scottish rockers Driveblind play Fridays this month at the Viper Room.

* Ginger Sling -- the solo project of Halo Friendlies bassist Ginger Reyes -- has the Monday residency this month at Costa Mesa’s Detroit Bar.

* Mardo toasts the release of its debut album “Mardo” on Monday night at the Viper Room.

*

-- Kevin Bronson