Pet Shop Boys

The twelve best concerts in Denver this weekend

LUCERO @ BLUEBIRD THEATER | THURS, 4/18/13 Outside of perhaps the Hold Steady -- which shares a proclivity for Bruce Springsteen -- nobody plays straight-up rock these days as convincingly as Lucero. Led by Ben Nichols's gravelly croak, Lucero borrows liberally from the Boss and Lynyrd Skynyrd on so ... More >>

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 >>

Ten acts that clearly worship The Smiths

Few bands in history have cast a longer shadow than The Smiths. They've inspired countless imitators and spiritual successors since they called it quits in 1987. While skinny indie kids moaning about the hardships of life are a dime a dozen, tracking down the successful artists influenced by Morriss ... More >>

Water World: Where your bad tattoos take on a new meaning

I have bad tattoos. Okay, they aren't all bad -- only about 33 percent of them are, if I break it down by specific tattoo artist. Also, since I didn't get my first tattoos (almost all came in pairs) until I was 24, they are strategically placed, meaning that, for the most part, they can't be seen if ... More >>

Review: Destroyer at the Bluebird, 6/9/12

DESTROYER @ BLUEBIRD THEATER| 6.09.12 See Also: Q&A with Dan Bejar of Destroyer. Dan Bejar ambled on to the stage, scanned it left to right, shoved some stray strands of his fro back into place, clenched his eyes shut and wore a look of abstract passion, an expression he kept for the entirety of t ... More >>

Jimmy Tamborello of Dntel on getting his start making electronic music and the tools he used

Katie ByronJimmy Tamborello of DntelJimmy Tamborello. While the name might not register immediately, you've probably heard his work with the Postal Service, an outfit that also features Death Cab for Cutie's Ben Gibbard. On his own throughout the '90s, Tamborello, who plays under the name Dntel (due ... More >>

Drake's "Fireworks," Thank Me Later's latest leak: Does it live up to its name?

​ With close to six months of postponed release dates under its belt, two official videos already out in advance of its supposed release on June 15, and almost every one of its tracks leaked all over the internet, Drake's much anticipated first full-length, Thank Me Later, has generated a ton ... More >>

The Film Dailies

Staring Up at Giants Again
Self-released

Monolith 2009, Day Two: The Mars Volta, Chromeo, MSTRKRFT, Phoenix and more

Monotonix set off the SoCo stage.​ Elsewhere: See reviews and photos from Day One. We're back on the Rocks for what, so far anyway, is looking to be a much more pleasant day than Saturday. In case you missed yesterday's festivities, it was viciously cold and wet, and not at all conducive to ... More >>

Pet Shop Boys announce tour, skip Denver

In support of Yes, their tenth full-length album(!), synth-pop kings Pet Shop Boys have just announced an eighteen-date North American tour, to begin at the end of August. The show promises to be filled with plenty of costumes, capers and theatricality. Unfortunately, the tour schedule is focus ... More >>

Bob Dylan top seller at Twist & Shout

Bob Dylan's Together Through Life, released last week on Columbia, grabbed the top spot at Twist and Shout for the week ending May 3. Depeche Mode, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Neko Case rounded out the top five. See the full breakdown after the jump.

Depeche Mode grabs top spot at Twist & Shout

Depeche Mode's brand new disc, Sounds of the Universe, grabbed the top spot at Twist & Shout for the week ending April 26. Iron & Wine's Norfolk 6/20/05, which was a Record Store Day release, nabbed the second spot while new albums by Manchester Orchestra, Camera Obscura and Booker T were al ... More >>

Heavy Rotation, our top five spins for the week of April 20, 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 a ... More >>

The Killers

Friday, January 16, Fox Theatre, Boulder, 303-443-3399; Saturday, January 17, Magness Arena, 303-830-8497.

Q&A With Sam and Jon DeStefano of the Hate F**k Trio

Mini Reviews

Westword Music Showcase 2007

Saturday, June 16

Raised on Radio

Rooney's power pop infiltrates a valley of angry young men.

Johnny Marr and the Healers

Boomslang(Artist Direct)

Pet Shop Boys

Disco 3 (Sanctuary)
Erasure
Other People’s Songs (Mute)

That's a Wrap-Up

Backbeat writers sound off on a few of their favorite musical things from 2002.

Let's Clash

Old and new collide to create the next wave of electronica.

Like a Prayer

Ever since Madonna called, remix artist and DJ Victor Calderone has been basking in a ray of light.

Blur

The Best Of (Food/Parlophone/Virgin)

Everything but the DJ

With Lazy Dog, English songwriter Ben Watt gets a modish makeover behind steel wheels.

Judgment Day

Backbeat contributors offer up their favorite recordings of 1999.

Animal Instincts

The Pet Shop Boys maintain their pop pedigree with a new album and tour.

Playlist

Party On, Garth

DJ Garth delivers a blast from the Eighties past.

Playlist

The Other Superstar DJ

San Francisco's Brendan McCarthy on his time in the Denver dance world.

Plugged In

Just in time for Lollapalooza, a list of the albums you need to understand electronica.

Playlist

Playlist

Kids Do the Darnedest Things