Sufjan Stevens

The ten best concerts in Denver this week

ELECTRIC SIX @ LARIMER LOUNGE | TUES, 2/19/13 Electric Six has been bringing the party to the unwary for a decade. The group's songs combine '80s rock, disco and New Wave into a cranked-up, ultra-catchy sound all its own, with lyrics that mix a David Lee Roth-esque bravado with surreal barrages of i ... 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's not surprising that the most common (and 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 we go, on and on about t ... More >>

Mega Gem

Colors of the West
Wild Baby Records

OpenAir 1340 AM set to launch on Halloween

Open Air 1340 makes its broadcast debut this Monday, October 31​Update (10/31/11): OpenAir 1340 made its broadcast debut this morning, and the signal sounds pretty strong from where we're at. Appropriately, the station hit the airwaves this morning at 5:59 a.m. with "Colorado" by Paper Bird. A ... More >>

Iron & Wine, Decemberists, Nicki Minaj are this week's top local sellers

​Iron & Wine's first studio effort in three years, Kiss Each Other Clean, released last week on Warner Brothers, debuted at number one at both Twist & Shout and Wax Trax, while coming in at number two at Albums on the Hill for the week ending January 30. The Decemberists' latest effort, The Ki ... More >>

How the music industry will change in 2011

​In the past decade, the music industry has seen a lot of changes, but it has struggled to keep pace with technology, piracy and consumer demands. Already this year we've started to see a few more changes take shape, from crackdowns on piracy websites, a resurgence of interest in the currently ... More >>

Air Dubai, T.I., Ebbets Field comp top local sellers in the Mile High City this week

​Air Dubai's Wonder Age knocked Elephant Revival's Break in the Clouds out of the top slot at Albums on the Hill, while both T.I. and the Live at Ebbets Field Vol. 4 comp moved back into the top slots at Independent Records and Twist & Shout for the week ending January 16. See the full breakd ... More >>

Top sellers this week: Elephant Revival back on top at Albums, Mumford & Sons at Twist

​After a month of holding down the number one spot at Albums on the Hill and then being absent from last week's top sellers, Nederland-based Elephant Revival is back on top for the week ending January 9. Mumford & Sons, meanwhile, who have been a strong seller at local stores, took the number ... More >>

T.I., Whiskey Blanket, Ebbets Field comp, Sufjan Stevens top local sellers

​After being on top at Albums on the Hill for a month, Nederland's Elephant Revival has vanished from the top ten. Whiskey Blanket now holds the top spot with its latest effort, No Object. Elsewhere, the Live at Ebbets Field Vol. 4 comp is back on top at Twist and Shot., T.I.'s number one at I ... More >>

Ten non-traditional Christmas records you should listen to this year

Stop! You don't have to!​So we're well into the Christmas season, and chances are good you're getting a bit tired of Nat King Cole and Bing Crosby and the Time-Life Christmas collection in general. What had been a charming return to familiar holiday standards -- and perhaps the only reason to ... More >>

T.I., Elephant Revival, Ebbets Field comp and Belle & Sebastian top local sellers this week

​T.I. grabbed the top spot at Independent this week with his latest, No Mercy, featuring Kanye West, Drake and Eminem, among others. Nederland's Elephant Revival claimed the top spot for the second week in a row at Albums on the Hill. At Twist & Shout, meanwhile, the new Live From Ebbets Field ... More >>

Freelance Whales

Monday, November 29, hi-dive, 720-570-4500.

Bruce Springsteen, Cee-Lo, Rihanna top sellers

​Kid Cudi's Man On The Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager might have dominated last week's charts, but this week, it's disappeared from the top ten at Albums on the Hill and Twist & Shout and moved down to the number four at Independent Records.

Aloe Blacc, Harry Nilsson, Kid Cudi fill 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?" 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 al ... More >>

Pretty Lights, Ween and Jay-Z filled 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?" 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 al ... More >>

Sufjan Stevens at the Paramount, 11/2/10

Britt Chester​ SUFJAN STEVENS With DM Stith 11.2.10 | Paramount Theatre "I'm high," someone near me whispered with a wink just before the lights went down and Sufjan Stevens's band of black v-necked-tee-shirted accompanists started tuning their instruments together in a cacophony of sound. A ... More >>

Sufjan Stevens

Tuesday, November 2, Paramount Theatre, 303-830-8497.

Kings of Leon, Deerhunter, Lil Wayne top sellers at local record stores

​While it isn't a huge surprise, Come Around Sundown, Kings of Leon's fifth studio album, released last week on RCA, claimed the top spots at both Albums on the Hill and Twist and Shout, and checked in at number two at Independent Records, behind Lil Wayne's I Am Not a Human Being. Deerhunter' ... More >>

Sufjan Stevens, Belle & Sebastian, Lil Wayne top sellers at local stores

​Sufjan Stevens' The Age of Adz, released last week on Asthmatic Kitty, and Belle & Sebastian's latest release on Matador, Write About Love, took the top two spots at Albums on the Hill and Twist & Shout for the week ending October 17. Lil Wayne's new album, meanwhile, I Am Not a Human Being ... More >>

Sufjan Stevens, Bad Religion, John McLaughlin shows announced

​Indie troubadour Sufjan Stevens, who's set up a month-long fall tour that will include some of the country's most historic theaters and venues, is set to visit the Paramount Theatre on Tuesday, November 2. Stevens will be performing fully realized versions of songs he initially debuted at sma ... More >>

Quote/Unquote: "Wichita, CO" by Weather Maps

​All right, how many times have you been bopping along, minding your own business, listening to some tunes, when all of the sudden, you'll hear a line in a song that instantly makes you do a double-take? You know, the ones where you keep rewinding the sucker, marveling aloud to no one in parti ... More >>

Memorial Day Playlist: Ten patriotic (and vaguely patriotic) songs that don't suck

​ As we all prepare to take time out from our hurried lives to remember the brave men and women of the armed forces who fought (and continue to fight) to keep us all free to live our lives as we please, we came up with a list of ten tunes to cue up this Memorial Day as you fire up the grill. ... More >>

Happy Birthday Abraham! Five Songs that mention Abraham Lincoln

With an entire day devoted to the vast, ceremonious, celebration of love, it's quite easy to overlook President's Day. But while Valentine's Day gets all the press and glory (and presents!), we'd be completely remiss not to at least acknowledge the men who helped shape who we are today. Without pres ... More >>

Q&A with Annie Clark of St. Vincent

​Performing as St. Vincent, Annie Clark is a writer of lush, adventurous pop music. As a teenager she was the tour manager for her uncle's band, Tuck & Patti, where she learned not only a great deal about the music business but also a bit about musicianship and effective performance. In her ... More >>

St. Vincent

Saturday, February 13, Bluebird Theater, 303-830-8497.

Bob Dylan top seller at Wax Trax

​Bob Dylan's first Christmas album, Christmas in the Heart, grabbed the top spot at Wax Trax for the week ending December 13. Shrinebuilder's self-titled debut continues to be a strong seller and came in at number two, while Slayer's World Painted Blood came in at number three. Them Crooked Vultur ... More >>

Local Shakedown Vol. 3 top seller at Wax Trax

​Radio 1190's The Local Shakedown, Vol. 3, a two-CD collection of 41 Colorado bands released last week, topped the charts at Wax Trax, for the week ending October 18. Coming in second was Run Rabbit Run, in which New York-based string quartet Osso reinterprets Sufan Stevens' 2001 album Enjoy Your ... More >>

St. Vincent

Tuesday, June 2, Bluebird Theater, 303-830-8497.

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 >>

Top Ten Americana Albums of 2008

Over the next couple of weeks, Backbeat will feature some Top Ten lists from around the Village Voice Media chain. Click here for previous year-in-review coverage from Backbeat and VVM. Picking the best folk and Americana records of the year isn't nearly as hard as discarding those great records t ... More >>

45 Second Reviews: Goldfinger, The Weepies, The White Tie Affair 9th Wonder & Buckshot

Delegating Denver #26 of 56: Michigan

Sanity Claus

Separating holiday-music gifts from seasonal disorders.

St. Vincent

Tuesday, September 18, Ogden Theatre, 1-866-468-7624.

Colin Check

Colin Check

Ian Cooke

Heartache still produces some of the finest art.

I Pity the Yule

Separating heavenly holiday music from Hell's noels.

Listen Up

Fast reviews of recent releases

Shine On

Jeremy Enigk's Sunny days may be over, but his music is as bright as ever.

Westword Music Showcase 2006

Be there or be square!

Danielson

Friday, June 9, hi-dive, 720-570-4500.

Listen Up

Fast reviews of recent releases

Various Artists

The Sound the Hare Heard (Kill Rock Stars)

Band of Brothers

With Our Album Year, the Meese might inherit the earth.

Listen Up

Fast reviews of recent releases

For the record

Since 2005 has hit the bricks, here's the final word on last year's finest discs.

Say What?

The top WTF moments of 2005.

Meese

The Oh No EP (Self-released)

Altered States

Sufjan Stevens is a singer-songwriter who takes history personally.