If I listen to music and I’m not tilting my head like Nipper, the dog from Francis Barraud’s iconic painting — leaning toward an Edison Bell cylinder phonograph because of what he’s hearing — I think the musicians are doing it wrong. Palm is the type of band that gets it right. It offers listeners a welcomed reprieve from rock-based parochial pursuits. The abstract expressionism by which the Philadelphia-based quartet crafts its offerings keeps you guessing. The group’s debut album, “Trading Basics” on Bayonet Records, boils with nonlinear assemblages of voice, melody and rhythm. Thoroughly engrossing, Palm tilts heads with its bulbous oddities Thursday, March 24, at Strange Matter. Joining it will be Nashville outsider rock duo Gnarwhal and Richmond modern prog rockers Houdan the Mystic. Doors open at 10 p.m. Admission is $10. strangematterrva.com.