Radiohead. Sigur Rós. The Verve.

No, that's not a critic's favorite list. It's a list of bands that people have using as comparisons for Washington, D.C.,-based Phaser, and lead singer/guitarist Siayko Skalsky isn't bothered by this.

"I don't mind. I love all the bands they compare us to. I think some of the critics may be a bit off with their statements though," Skalsky said. "They are a good group of artists to be lumped into."

Phaser will be headlining the first of two Roustabouts! this weekend at 9 p.m. on Friday at The Darkhorse Tavern, 128 E. College Ave. Other acts on Friday include the Bullet Parade and deejays spinning dance music. On Saturday, the Roustabout! will be held at 9 p.m. at the Tall Shiva Hookah Lounge, 224 W. College Ave. Acts will include The Car Mats, The Bullet Parade, Golden Ball and Hays, and a playing of the Flaming Lip's Zaireeka.

This past year saw the release of Phaser's debut, Sway, and Skalsky said the band's shoe-gazer space rock sound doesn't really fit into the current music scene.

"As far as what I like, I don't listen to the radio," Skalsky said. "We're just doing what we want to do."

Complex arrangements on the band's record add an extra element to its live show, and Saiyko said the band has added members to capture the album's sound in concert.

"We try to make the sound as close as possible to how we recorded it," Skalsky said. "We don't want to try to do too much as musicians, because then everyone's thinking about it rather than feeling it."

Even though the band has expanded for its live shows, Phaser is looking to branch out its performances until there are no other bands like it.

"We're still working on [the live show]. We want to make it as grandiose as possible," Skalsky said.

He talked about adding visuals with the band, maybe bringing an orchestra on stage, and including back-up singers.

Skalsky said artists like The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd and David Bowie helped form Phaser's unique sound and its inspirations for songwriting. Most of the songs develop from Skalsky experimenting on guitar and playing whatever comes to him.

"It's just all pretty much from the heart," Skalsky said. "Most of the songs are about love, death, religion. I hate forcing lyrics, once you start singing you know if its not right. You build on it like a sculpture or take away from it."

Even after releasing Sway this past year, Phaser is still working harder than ever, Skalsky said.

"I want to do a new record immediately and continue touring," Skalsky said. "We've got a hell of a lot of demos we are working on."

Headlining Saturday night's Roustabout! are Philadelphia based bands Golden Ball and Hays. The two bands both have the same members, and are fronted by Gillian and David Chadwick. The Chadwicks, who are married, both were interested in playing music, but had different visions of what sort of art they wanted to produce.

So rather than playing in the same band and having conflicting goals, they decided to be in the same band, but label it as two separate projects.

"It's an interesting thing," Gillian said. "We wanted to figure a way to do it that there's no stress."

Gillian described her band, Hays, as T. Rex influenced psychedelia, while David's band, Golden Ball, sounds like Brian Wilson meets Brian Eno. She said there are similiarities in the projects, and in the live show the bands will play equal sets.

"You'll see people rarely play one instrument the whole way through one song," Gillian said. "We kind of want it to be kalidescopic in arrangement. We like the sound to be moving around."

The cover for both nights is $4.