Critic's Choice

Amadeus Tonguefingers (who files his taxes under the name Dave Colberg) once described the wildly experimental sound of Robot Mandala as "a little to the left of techno, a little to the right of space rock, and right down the middle of sonic noise soundscapes." While that's a helpful aural treasure map, the outfit's bassist/bellower forgot to mention just how cool it is to hear a metal Slinky with a pickup being run through effects until the whole thing stretches into infinity. Of course, guitarist Chris whY has plenty of other tricks up his sleeve -- as do duelling laptoppers John Gross (of Page 27) and John Rasmussen. Tinkering endlessly with all manner of style and substance, the sometimes ambient, sometimes jarring but always entertaining Robot headlines an afternoon barbecue show at the Larimer Lounge, Saturday, August 13, with Blackcell, Pentalith and the Sneak. Able to tickle senses beyond the mere auditory, Tonguefingers and company often incorporate visual effects into their live sets, too, fusing together alien dance music, death rock and instrumental spazz passages into one big, happy mindfuck. Et tu, Robot?