White Denim

Unlike many of its brethren in the realm of neo-psychedelic garage rock, White Denim decided not to bother with a retro sound at all. The band's bubbling, urgent rhythms and often angular guitar work sometimes sound like an accidental rediscovery of post-punk — but rather than embrace a stark aesthetic,...

By Tom Murphy

January 21, 2010

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Unlike many of its brethren in the realm of neo-psychedelic garage rock, White Denim decided not to bother with a retro sound at all. The band's bubbling, urgent rhythms and often angular guitar work sometimes sound like an accidental rediscovery of post-punk — but rather than embrace a stark aesthetic, these guys blur the edges and warp whatever sound they touch into different territory than what is obvious at the outset of any giving song. This curiously compelling mélange of melody is akin to that of New York City's Skeletons in its inspired eclecticism. On 2009's Fits, White Denim managed to reconcile and experiment with more styles of music than most other outfits are capable of playing properly.

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Tom Murphy is a writer, visual artist and musician from Aurora, Colorado. He was a prolific music writer for Westword and a documenter of the Denver music scene.

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Twitter: @simianthinker