Email Author Tom Murphy

2007 Stories by Tom Murphy

• Workhorse

  published July 5, 2007

  One of the most amusing trends in the last few years has been the merging of Southern rock and so-called stoner rock. As if we needed the unholy... More >>

• Chairlift

  published July 5, 2007

  Boulder has long been known for spawning talented musical acts — and then inspiring them to move on to more welcoming climates. Maybe... More >>

• Blue Million Miles

  published June 28, 2007

  Blue Million Miles emerged after the split of Small Objects in the fall of 2006. It was the classic case of a promising young band breaking... More >>

• Kenny Chesney

  published June 28, 2007

  Kenny Chesney has performed some of the most unabashedly white-bread, defanged, middle-of-the-road pop music ever crafted. While his breakthrough... More >>

• Breezy Porticos

  published June 28, 2007

  Opening with the bouncy, infectious "Ramona, Just the Other Day," These Record Highs finds Breezy Porticos in the familiar mode of slipping... More >>

• Debbie Harry

  published June 7, 2007

  As the charismatic frontwoman of Blondie, Debbie Harry was more than just a dumb, photogenic singer crooning unforgettable new-wave pop songs.... More >>

• Transistor Radio Sound

  published June 7, 2007

  Lo-fi is sort of de rigueur in DIY indie rock, but when that affectation is used to cover up poor songwriting, it can be wearisome. Fortunately,... More >>

• Sleeper Horse

  published May 31, 2007

  For a few years there, it seemed that there would be no end to the stream of angsty, but not angry, suburban white-boy punks. How many times did... More >>

• Maple Tigers

  published May 24, 2007

  Earlier this year, Landlordland seemed to come to an abrupt end — especially considering what a formidable live act it had grown into. For... More >>

• Young Galaxy

  published May 24, 2007

  Young Galaxy could easily be pegged as yet another dreamy space-rock band. But instead of opting for the distorted, frayed tones favored by many... More >>

• Mothership

  published May 24, 2007

  Mothership is made up of a group of heady individuals, the type of musicians who are completely comfortable jamming out live on songs such as... More >>

• Tripp Nasty Orchestra

  published May 17, 2007

  With the focused intensity of Friedrich Nietzsche, Tripp Nasty leads his avant chamber orchestra through a variety of classical musical styles.... More >>

• Love As Laughter

  published May 17, 2007

  Does anyone truly know what indie rock sounds like? While the term is as ubiquitious as alt-rock was over a decade ago, it can also be extremely... More >>

• Married in Berdichev

  published May 10, 2007

  As the frenetic frontwoman of Mannequin Makeout, Brittany Gould caterwauls like a riot grrrl and croons like Siouxsie Sioux. So it's a bit... More >>

• Nashville Pussy

  published May 10, 2007

  If sleaze rock is the tongue-kissing cousin of heavy metal, then Nashville Pussy is Gene Simmons's hillbilly stunt double. Led by the twin-guitar... More >>

• The Postmarks

  published May 3, 2007

  Florida is probably the last place you'd expect to find a French-pop-influenced, trip-hop-tinged indie band. The place isn't exactly a wellspring... More >>

• The Archive

  published April 26, 2007

  There probably aren't too many people who remember Autonomous Collective, a poppy post-rock act that daringly explored a wide range of sounds with... More >>

• RTX

  published April 26, 2007

  Contorted, distorted, six-string mayhem was the hallmark of Jennifer Herrema's previous group, the influential Royal Trux. Deconstructing guitar... More >>

• Wild Game

  published April 19, 2007

  Okay, pretend Nirvana never forced hair bands into early retirement -- it can be pretty bleak to think about. But if you listen to the recorded... More >>

• Games for May

  published April 12, 2007

  With charming, carefully constructed songs, Games for May conjures the acid-damaged genius of Syd Barrett, Revolver-era Beatles and... More >>

• Calm

  published April 12, 2007

  Time and AwareNess have been collaborating for years. Though the two MCs are somewhat obscure in Denver, they've earned a dedicated following... More >>

• ReAction

  published April 12, 2007

  F. Scott Fitzgerald once declared that there are no second acts in American lives. Had the novelist ever met Will Baumgartner, however, he might... More >>

• Kissing Party

  published April 5, 2007

  In a time when war without end looms on the horizon and impending economic and ecological disaster hangs over us like a Sword of Damocles, it's... More >>

• Maria Taylor

  published April 5, 2007

  Few songwriters these days can claim to have such undeniably hip credentials as Maria Taylor. After getting her start in the teenage pop band... More >>

• Pictureplane

  published March 22, 2007

  In recent years, a spate of would-be synth-pop revivalists have come into the world. Some have mixed in rock instrumentals, while others have... More >>