Forget the bland, run-of-the-mill New Year’s resolutions to drink less, exercise more and stay away from candy; you need an inventive pledge to start your year off right: Do what your imaginary friends tell you to.

01/08
• Super Deluxe/Dolour/Mechanical Dolls at Crocodile (early, all-ages)
• Super Deluxe/Tennis Pro/Slender Means at Crocodile (late, 21+)

Come for Super Deluxe, but make sure you arrive early for the stellar line-up of local opening bands: the irresistibly charming pop melodies of Dolour, the precocious rawk of teenage grrl power trio Mechanical Dolls, the witty, effervescent pop ditties of Tennis Pro, and the luscious deep vocals and nearly sensuous guitars of Slender Means.

01/15
• The Fitness/Ms. Led/Dalmatians/The Cripples at Vera (all-ages)

Going to a show on payday (especially when said payday is on a Saturday) is like getting a Sonic Boom gift certificate from your great aunt who normally showers you with Christmas-themed sweaters every holiday season. You will see no such fashion faux pas when the Fitness take the stage. The Fitness pack couture and danceable beats into a pretty ribboned package and Ms. Led rip that package apart with biting lyrics, insatiable stage energy and voracious guitar riffs that will have you wondering when girls stopped being well-mannered and started rocking.

01/27
• Aqueduct at Crocodile

Since we last extolled the virtues of Aqueduct in Tablet (in 2004), the band has racked up an impressive series of accomplishments: toured the country with U.S.E, signed to Barsuk Records, and released an acclaimed E.P. How better for them to start off the new year than to celebrate the release of their first full-length, “I Sold Gold.” Aqueduct’s brand of tongue-in-cheek melodies takes us all back to days when clever lyrics ruled-the-school and catchy keyboard melodies were all that mattered.

Three Imaginary Girls cover tons of local music and host live events, from music showcases to rockstar karaoke. Check out threeimaginarygirls.com for more info.