Modest Mouse

Johnny Marr on how he created the sound for "How Soon is Now?" without effects pedals

Johnny Marr is an iconic and influential guitarist best known for his work in The Smiths, which broke up in 1987. His guitar phrases and his genius for crafting textured and tonally rich rhythmic leads has influenced countless rock guitarists of the last quarter century. After leaving The Smiths, Ma ... More >>

Helio Sequence

Thursday, October 11, Moe's Original BBQ, Englewood, 303-781-0414.

White Rabbits: "It was more important to be emotionally visceral and in the moment'"

White Rabbits (due tonight at the Bluebird Theater) moved from Columbia, Missouri to Brooklyn within a year of forming in 2004. The group's music had, from the beginning, an ineffably energetic spirit that could be heard by broader audiences first with its 2007 debut album, Fort Nightly. But it was ... More >>

Sparkler Bombs

A Raw Youth
Self-released

Sasquatch 2011 line-up announced: Vanilla bands covered in vanilla sauce

​Sasquatch became the second major summer festival to announce its lineup last night. The George, Washington (kills us every time) indie-fest is always heavy on the hipster-bait, but this year is egregious. The top of the bill looks like this: Foo Fighters, Death Cab for Cutie, Modest Mouse, W ... More >>

Ghostand Observatory, Jonathan Tyler on our playlists this week

​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 >>

This Just In: Lilith Tour, Modest Mouse, 311 shows announced

​After an eleven year hiatus, Sarah McLachlan has revived the Lilith Tour (originally the Lilith Fair) that she helped found in 1996. In keeping with the original female-centric tours from 1997-99, McLachlan is bringing a number of top female artists including Kelly Clarkson, Miranda Lambert ... More >>

Heavy Rotation: Pretty Lights, Liars, Gorillaz top our weekly playlists

Pretty Lights. Photo by Aaron Thackeray​ ​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, o ... More >>

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

​As music critics -- and people who generally think about, talk about, listen to and make music -- the most common question we get asked (and ask each other, for that matter) is, "What are you listening to right now?" The pervasiveness of this query is precisely what inspired Heavy Rotation. For t ... More >>

Heavy Rotation, our top spins for the week of October 19, 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 >>

Pissed Jeans top seller at Wax Trax for fourth week in a row

​Pissed Jeans latest effort, King of Jeans, continues to dominate the Wax Trax's top sellers list by grabbing the number one for the fourth week in a row while the Local Anesthetic and Rocky Mountain Low compilations moved up to the second and third slots respectively for the week ending September ... More >>

Pissed Jeans top seller at Wax Trax for third week in a row

​Pissed Jeans nabbed the top slot at Wax Trax for the third week in a row while Pictureplane's Dark Rift moved up to the second slot from the seventh spot last week. The Fine Print, Drive-By Truckers new collection of oddities and rarites, debuted at number three, Apples in Stereo's #1 Hits Explos ... More >>

Matisyahu top seller at Twist and Shout

​Matisyahu's Light, released last week on Sony, grabbed the top spot while Boulder Acoustic Society's in store performance last week might have helped Punchline, which has some insanely cool packaging, nab the second slot for the week ending August 30. Arctic Monkeys' Humbug, Imogen Heap's Ellipse ... More >>

Pissed Jeans grabs top spot at Wax Trax again

​Pissed Jeans' King of Jeans grabbed the number one spot on Wax Trax's top seller list the second week in a row while Arctic Monkeys' Humbug, released last week on Domino, came in second for the week ending August 30. Dead Weather, Modest Mouse and Jay Reatard rounded out the top five while the Ro ... More >>

Twista top seller at Independent Records again

​Twista continues to dominate Independent's charts and grabbed the top spot for the third week in a row while Mr. Capone-E's latest effort, Diary of a G, debuted at the second slot for the week ending August 30. Eminem's Relapse and Matisyahu's Light, released last week on Sony, nabbed the third a ... More >>

Twista continues to dominate at Independent Records

​Eminem dominated Independent's charts for quite a few weeks after the release of Relapse, but Twista's Category F5 knocked Relapse down to the number two slot for the second week in a row. Fabolous and Tech N9ne continued to be strong sellers while Third Eye Blind's Ursa Major, released last week ... More >>

Third Eye Blind grabs top spot at Twist and Shout

​Third Eye Blind's fourth studio album, Ursa Major, released last week on Megaforce, topped Twist & Shout's charts for the week ending August, 23. Brendan Benson, who was releasing his own albums years before joining the Raconteurs, debuted at the number three slot with his latest effort, My O ... More >>

Less is more at three20south in Breckenridge

Heavy Rotation, our top spins for the week of August 17, 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 >>

Chris Gaffney tribute top seller at Twist and Shout

​Since Twist and Shout hosted an autograph signing with Dave Alvin at the L2 Arts and Culture Center, it might have helped push the Chris Gaffney tribute, Man of Somebody's Dream, to the top of the store's best sellers for the week ending August 16. After Gaffney died last year, Alvin recruited Jo ... More >>

Twista top seller at Independent Records again

​Twista's Category F5 topped the charts at Independent Records for the second week in a row while Eminem's Relapse, which has also been a strong seller, nabbed the second slot for the week ending August 16. Slaughterhouse, Behemoth and Jeremih rounded out the top five. See the full breakdown after ... More >>

Twista on top at Independent Records

​Twista moved back to the number one spot and knocked Fabolous, who was the top seller last week, down to the second slot for the week ending August 9. It's Twista's third time in the first slot in the last month. Eminem and Tech N9ne, who have been top sellers for the last few months, continue to ... More >>

Modest Mouse top seller at Twist and Shout

​Modest Mouse's No One's First and You're Next, released last week on Sony, grabbed the top spot at Twist & Shout while Yim Yames (aka Jim Jones of My Morning Jacket) nabbed the second slot for the week ending August 9. Wilco's Wilco (the album), Levon Helm's Electric Dirt and Dead Weather's H ... More >>

Heavy Rotation, our top spins for the week of August 3, 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 al ... More >>

Other Girls

Tuesday, July 7, hi-dive, 720-570-4500.

Flaming Lips, Modest Mouse, Frank Black shows annouced

The Flaming Lips know all about putting on a hell of a show, and the Monolith Festival gig at Red Rocks in 2007 was one most phenomenal things to happen to that venue in the last few years. Lets hope for a repeat performance when the Lips return to Red Rocks Sunday, August 23 with Explosions in the ... More >>

Soundbites: Cheap Girls, Bon Iver, Frank Turner, Papermoons and Lemuria

Welcome to another edition of Sound Bites, our economy-sized album reviews. This week, Andy Thomas weighs in on five recent national releases from Bon Iver (pictured left), Cheap Girls, Frank Turner, Papermoons and Lemuria after the jump.

Week in Review: 1/26/09 - 1/30/09

In terms of music news this was a slower week in the Mile High City. The biggest items were news of Overcasters being invited to perform at South By Southwest on the heels of a particularly harrowing trip to the East Coast a few weeks ago with the Fluid, followed closely by DJ Vajra's inclusion in ... More >>

In case you missed it: Backbeat's ten most-read blogs of 2008

The Mile High Music fest drew a lot of interest from local music fans in '08. This blog churned out more than 1,400 posts in 2008, about life, death, plastic surgery, and even some music. Here, in case you just joined us or are really taking stock of your year, a quick-clicking guide to the ten mo ... More >>

Last Night...R.E.M., the National and Modest Mouse @ Red Rocks

Thoughts on Five Songs While I Pretend to Work

Magic Mice

hi-dive

Over the Weekend ... The Knew, Light Travels Faster, the Get Down @ Lion's Lair

Light Travels Faster

Larimer Lounge

Stung By Bees

Skylark Lounge

Modest Mouse

We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank
Epic

Chin Up Chin Up

The Harness Can¹t Ride Anything (Suicide Squeeze)

Sun Kil Moon

Tiny Cities (Caldo Verde)

Rogue Wave

Descended Like Vultures (Sub Pop)

Nik Freitas

Tuesday, May 3, hi-dive, 720-570-4500.

The Beatdown

Elevators, Frappuccinos, and things that go bump in the night.

Modest Mouse

Monday, July 26, Fillmore Auditorium, 303-830-8497

Critic's Choice

Curious Yellow

Critic's Choice

Hackensaw Boys

Best White-Trash Jukebox

The Lancer Lounge

Holopaw

Holopaw (Sub Pop)

Letters to the Editor

From the week of November 28, 2002

Fruit Bats

Echolocation (Perishable)

Hit Pick

DeNunzio

Mouse on the Moon

Modest Mouse, the band that would be indie rock's king, navigates a major-label existence.