Denver CD Reviews

CD Reviews

Chad Price

Smile Sweet Face
Suburban Home

The music of Fort Collins's Drag the River has never been short of heartache. But with his debut solo album, Smile Sweet Face, Drag co-leader... More>>

By Jason Heller

Published: November 05, 2009

Everything Absent or Distorted

The Lucky One
Self-released

Everything Absent or Distorted had strength in numbers. There were usually at least eight members, which sometimes ballooned to a dozen or more,... More>>

By Jon Solomon

Published: November 05, 2009

No High Fives to Bullshit/Snuggle

Untitled Split 7-inch
1234 Go! Records

Snuggle puts in two tracks of snarly, refreshingly unpolished, melodic punk with the archly defiant "Commercial" and the edgy and almost spooky... More>>

By Tom Murphy

Published: November 05, 2009

Six Months to Live

This Is What Happens
Self-released

It's a shame that Six Months to Live's time is up (their final show, a CD release for this album, is Saturday, November 14), since this disc... More>>

By Cory Casciato

Published: November 05, 2009

Plastic Fantastic Lover

The Pink Album
Self-released

It's hard to put your finger on Plastic Fantastic Lover's music. Most of it falls somewhere between a folkier Tom Waits and a mildly psychotic... More>>

By Cory Casciato

Published: October 29, 2009

Potcheen

Steel Blue Sea
Self-released

Originally called the Potcheen Folk Band, this outfit has dropped the "folk" from its name, and that makes sense — because while the... More>>

By Jon Solomon

Published: October 29, 2009

The Skyline Surrender

This Is Character EP
Self-released

Denver has no shortage of young, hungry metalcore bands. The Skyline Surrender isn't any less ambitious than the rest — but its debut EP,... More>>

By Jason Heller

Published: October 29, 2009

Weird Turn Prose

Sundowner
Self-released

A little too experimental to be straight-out country and too countrified and honky-tonk to rightfully be considered alt-country, this latest... More>>

By Tom Murphy

Published: October 29, 2009

The Bottesini Project

Naima's Grass Pajamas
Bocumast

On the Bottesini Project's outstanding self-titled debut, leader and saxophonist Paul Riola recruited high-caliber musicians like Tortoise... More>>

By Jon Solomon

Published: October 22, 2009

Emmitt-Nershi Band

New Country Blues
Sci Fidelity Records

Nimble-fingered Leftover Salmonite Drew Emmitt teams with String Cheese Incident strummer Bill Nershi for a soul-warming platter of acoustic... More>>

By Nick Hutchinson

Published: October 22, 2009

Hello Kavita

To a Loved One
Self-released

It's not often that you encounter an instantly satisfying record that also rewards repeated listens. Hello Kavita's sophomore effort blows in... More>>

By Eryc Eyl

Published: October 22, 2009

Weed Diamond

Sweater Kids
Mirror Universe Tapes

Mirror Universe isn't a subsidiary of Siltbreeze, but the ultra-lo-fi production on this album's nine tracks makes it sound like it is. From the... More>>

By Tom Murphy

Published: October 22, 2009

Erik Applegate

Red Skies
Self-released

Denver-based jazz bassist Erik Applegate has strong enough chops to have performed with jazz heavies like Milt Jackson, Harold Mabern and Tom... More>>

By Jon Solomon

Published: October 15, 2009

Devil Got Five

Devil Got Five
Self-released

This debut album from Devil Got Five reveals that there's more to the band's songwriting than being couched in the realm of metal. The tastefully... More>>

By Tom Murphy

Published: October 15, 2009

Lords of Fuzz

Lords of Fuzz
Self-released

On their self-titled LP, the Lords deliver a potent, sludgy blend of heavy, super-fuzzy riffs, a thundering rhythm section with just a hint of... More>>

By Cory Casciato

Published: October 15, 2009

St. Elias

Believe It
Self-released

Hindsight may be 20/20, but it still seems too soon to truly get a big-picture idea of what the '90s were all about. Luckily for St. Elias, the... More>>

By Jason Heller

Published: October 15, 2009

Marty Jones & the Great Unknowns

Drink & Song
Self-released

Onetime Westword contributor Marty Jones knows a few things about boozing and singing, so it's no surprise that he'd dub his new five-song EP... More>>

By Jon Solomon

Published: October 08, 2009

Science Partner

Science Partner
Self-released

Although it's labeled as a mere demo, this three-song, self-titled disc from Science Partner — formerly the Tyler Despres band — is... More>>

By Jason Heller

Published: October 08, 2009

Time

Naked Dinner
Dirty Laboratory

Few artists have explored the theme of paranoia as thoroughly as Time does on this latest release. In "Naked Brunch," conspiracy-theory icon... More>>

By Tom Murphy

Published: October 08, 2009

Tr3CooH

LyriCooH Treative: The Listenin' Session
Self-released

The distinction between indelible hip-hop and the dismissible kind is so narrow that artists can straddle the line without realizing it —... More>>

By Michael Roberts

Published: October 08, 2009

Ivory Drive

From This Far
Self-released

Nearly half the cuts on Ivory Drive's debut album sound as though they were ripped from the pages of the Ben Folds Five songbook, only with sax... More>>

By Jon Solomon

Published: October 01, 2009

Accordion Crimes

A Higher Quality Version of This
Self-released

Before nerds took over the world, they weren't so meek. Watch almost any '80s nerd-centric movie, Revenge of the Nerds included: Some were... More>>

By Jason Heller

Published: October 01, 2009

Black Sleep of Kali

Black Sleep of Kali
Self-released

Tracing the lineage that Black Sleep of Kali evokes on this record isn't all that difficult. Listen closely and there's some of that hard-edged... More>>

By Tom Murphy

Published: October 01, 2009

Maree McRae

Urgency
Northwind Records

"Urgency," this album's title track, was inspired by the chronic illness of Maree McRae's youngest son, so it makes sense that her performance is... More>>

By Michael Roberts

Published: October 01, 2009

Chella Negro

These days, folk singers tend to tart up their arrangements under the assumption that the simple combination of voice and guitar puts too many... More>>

By Michael Roberts

Published: September 24, 2009