Joy Division

New Denver shows: Peter Hook, Ani DiFranco, Blood on the Dance Floor and more

Bassist Peter Hook, who played Joy Division's Unknown Pleasures at the Bluebird in 2011, returns to the area with his group, the Light, to perform New Order's Movement and Power, Corruption & Lies at the Gothic Theatre on Saturday, September 28. Tickets ($25.75) go on sale this Saturday, May 25. Co ... More >>

Men in Burka defies convention with purpose and promise

New Order at Coachella, 4/13/13

NEW ORDER @ COACHELLA | 4/13/13 While over at the main stage the bulk of the Coachella crowd was enduring Phoenix with the hope that Daft Punk would come out -- they instead got R. Kelly -- a smaller but perhaps-more-enthusiastic crowd got a first-rate greatest hits set from New Order last night. ... More >>

The ten best concerts of the week

BOB SEGER @ PEPSI CENTER | TUES, 4/2/13 While Bob Seger might be immortalized by his long-running Chevy ads that featuring "Like a Rock" and the scene in Risky Business where Tom Cruise sings along to "Old Time Rock and Roll," there's a lot more to the guy than that. He's carved out a spot in the ro ... More >>

Slam's Stuart McMillan on longevity, popularity, and the duo's first North American tour in a decade

Backbeat's top five spins: This is what we're listening to this week. What's on your playlist?

As people who think about, talk about, write about, listen to and make music, it shouldn't be surprising to find that the most common (and mutually favorite) topic of conversation among us is the same: "What are you listening to right now?" Stick a quarter in us, and, boy, wouldn't you know it, off ... More >>

Backbeat's top five spins: This is what we're listening to this week. What's on your playlist?

As people who think about, talk about, write about, listen to and make music, it shouldn't be surprising to find that the most common (and mutually favorite) topic of conversation among us is the same: "What are you listening to right now?" Stick a quarter in us, and, boy, wouldn't you know it, off ... More >>

The weekend's best dance music: Trick or Bass, Guy Gerber, Peaches, Sonic Blossom and more

DJ ISHE @ HOT 107'S TRICK OR BASS at GOTHIC THEATRE | FRI, 10/12/12 DJ Ishe (aka Nate Lappegaard) has been making music longer than most of his fans have been alive. Nearing his two-decade mark as a DJ, Ishe is one of the underdog producers in Denver who's helped propel the dubstep scene, and he's d ... More >>

Guy Gerber will do things his own way at Beta

New Order at 1STBANK Center, 10/10/12

NEW ORDER @ 1STBANK CENTER |10/10/12 If you've been a New Order fan for long enough, you've heard the song hundreds of times or more. Just the same, that repetition did nothing to dull the haunting yet soothing majesty of "Your Silent Face" when New Order played it pretty much in the middle of the ... More >>

Street style: What's in your bag? Dinosaur stickers, guy-liner and more!

Last weekend was filled with fun. And while many people feasted upon turkey legs at the People's Fair or gazed upon the Denver Chalk Art Festival on Larimer, others checked out the First Friday Art Walk on Santa Fe Drive or the Mutants show at the hi-dive on Saturday. Take a peek at this week's visi ... More >>

Once upon a time, Lipgloss DJ Michael Trundle was my babysitter. (Okay, not really)

If you're from Denver (or you've lived here for more than eight consecutive months) you know how small it can feel; it's like three degrees of separation between you, your favorite barista at Pablo's and your best friend from eighth-grade summer camp. Because that favorite barista is also your yoga ... More >>

Abyssal Creatures

Social Awkwardness
Self-released

Veteran Denver musician Andy Monley on gigging in 2011

Force Publique's James Wayne and Cassie McNeil shed light on their dark, synth-pop sound

Westword Music Showcase 2011

The Westword Music Showcase celebrates seventeen years, a lifetime for some of 2011's performers

British punk rockers, The Vaccines, ballyhoo the Buckhorn Exchange as the best food experience while on tour...really?

​Okay, I admit it: I've never heard of the The Vaccines, a British punk rock band that Rolling Stone magazine calls "Hopped-Up Romantics Ruling the U.K. Charts," which is rather strange, since the music mag compares the group of four to Joy Division and the Jesus and Mary Chain, both of which ... More >>

JB Townsend of Crystal Stilts on the act's evolution and the influence of Velvet Underground

​A few years ago, Crystal Stilts (due tonight at Larimer Lounge), along with friends Blank Dogs, gained notoriety in the blogosphere for its reverb-drenched post-punk, which was notably different from everything that had been coming out of New York in the past decade.

SXSW Tip Sheet: Colorado bands

BLKHRTS

BLK S BTFL
Self-released

Shaun Durkan of Weekend talks about Sports and the foibles of music journalism

​Formed in 2009, Weekend started out as a trio comprised of guys from punk and hardcore bands in the Bay Area who wanted to do something with a broader sonic palette. Often compared to My Bloody Valentine and The Jesus & Mary Chain, Weekend doesn't really sound like either so much as a pop ban ... More >>

George Clooney, in The American, is less about assassins, more about internal tumult

B.o.B., Bop Skizzum, Tommy Metz and The Pirate Signal top our weekly playlists

​As people who think about, talk about, listen to and make music, the most common question we encounter is, "What are you listening to right now?" So whether you're looking for recommendations, trying to get a feel for our individual sensibilities, or are just curious, we've compiled a list of ... More >>

Dan Allen

Thompson Blues
Self-released

Heavy Rotation, our top spins for the week of September 14, 2009

​As music critics, the most common question we get asked (and ask each other, for that matter) is, "What are you listening to?" The pervasiveness of this query is precisely what inspired Heavy Rotation, our latest feature. For the benefit of those who happen to be curious, we've compiled a list of ... More >>

Heavy Rotation, our top spins for the week of August 10, 2009

​As music critics, the most common question we get asked (and ask each other, for that matter) is, "What are you listening to?" The pervasiveness of this query is precisely what inspired Heavy Rotation, our latest feature. For the benefit of those who happen to be curious, we've compiled a list of ... More >>

MP3 Freeloader: Joy Subtraction

Abe Brennan during his Wretch Like Me Days​Colorado might not necessarily need another supergroup, but it's hard to argue with a lineup like that of Joy Subtraction. The new trio comprises singer/guitarist Abe Brennan (formerly of Wretch Like Me and The Things They Carry), bassist Matt Regan (form ... More >>

Future Islands is what might've happened if Joy Division had been grounded in R&B and indie pop

Meet Hypernova, exploding stars from the Iranian underground

Mexico's Jaguares bring their roar north of the border

Control

Joy Division portrait proves the exception to the rock biopic drool.

Soul Merchants

1985-1987
Smooch Records

Last Night: IO Echo, Kenna, She Wants Revenge @ The Gothic Theater

Our top DVD picks for the week of October 31:

The Prids

Saturday, October 7, Bender's Tavern, 303-861-7070.

Sound Bites

Pinback

Friday, June 3, Fox Theatre, Boulder, 303-443-3399.

Low Front

After a decade of frigid indie rock, Low's temperature is rising.

Scratching the Surface

Carlos D

Prosaics

Aghast Agape EP (Dim Mak)

Various Artists

Left of the Dial: Dispatches From the '80s Underground (Rhino)

Now It's Overhead

Fall Back Open (Saddle Creek)

Boogie Men

VHS or Beta inspires communal dance ecstasy and has a good beat. But don't call it disco.

The Lapse of Luxury

After a four-year hiatus, Girls Against Boys is back in the high life again.

Critic's Choice

Anti-Pop Consortium

Discmania

Backbeat writers revisit their favorite albums of the year.

The Pernice Brothers

The World Won't End (Ashmont), Maroon (Atlantic)

Backwash

16 HP rides high with Hoarse, a new collections of live cuts from local performances.

Skull Session

Skull Flux kicks the breakup bug and lives to rock another day.

Desperate Measures

The men of Starlite Desperation favor the vinyl solution.