The best EDM in Denver this weekend

FRI | DOCTOR P at BETA | 3/14/14 My dubstep has a first name, and it’s D-O-C-T-O-R-P. Having established himself as one of the originators in bringing dubstep to the masses, Doctor P’s early hits still get regular play in the biggest sets. To boot, his Circus Records imprint is…

The ten best shows in Denver this weekend

Hooo buddy. There are shows this weekend in Denver. Who needs Austin when you’ve got the legendary New Orleans Suspects, the even more legendary De La Soul and a bunch of dudes with laptops, right here in your hometown? Not us. We’ll be here, seeing what Chris Adolf is up…

Anticon co-founder Sole finds inspiration in Denver’s activists

I look at it like I’m leaving a trail of crumbs,” says artist, label founder and Denver transplant Tim Holland about the dense, politically informed content of his lyrics. “I’m referencing books, authors, ideas, concepts and historical moments the same way that Boogie Down Productions, X Clan and Public Enemy…

I Sank Molly Brown

“All Mom Blues Band,” the second track on I Sank Molly Brown’s The Age of Pretzlcoatl, starts out with a Slint-like bass line but quickly escalates into more dissonant sonic territory as the song progresses. The band also continues to deliver its signature tempo shifts on the just-released album. Caleb…

As the Sky Darkens

As the Sky Darkens spent the last year-plus hunkered down in the studio, writing and recording Freedom, its latest full-length. Although the album incorporates every element of metalcore — crunching breakdowns, hellish growls, intricate guitar work and clean vocals — followers of heavier genres should not be discouraged. As the…

Cody Yantis

“Brightness,” from Cody Yantis’s new album, Resonant Memory, begins with pastoral guitar work and samples of birds and other ambient sounds, giving the track the feeling of a Daniel Lanois song. But by the time “Brightness III” comes through your stereo, the tone has darkened. On “Brightness IV,” the music…

King Cardinal

There are only four tracks on King Cardinal’s self-titled debut EP, and all four give a clear idea of what this alt-folk sextet is capable of. Even so, it’s hard to get past the hauntingly beautiful opener, “A Short Trip to Mackinac Island,” because the song demands repeat listens. With…

The 10 best concerts in Denver from March 10 to March 13

Fear the gaze of Angel Olsen, whose smirk has a greater effect on a room than the average five guitar-wanker power slides combined. She plays the black box on Larimer Street tonight. Elsewhere, fireworks in the form of Austin’s The Sword come to The Black Sheep, slick bro G-Eazy hits…

The ten best concerts in Denver this weekend

It’s a good weekend for live music in Denver. Let’s start at the end, with Paul Simon’s Graceland collaborator Ladysmith Black Mambazo at Boulder Theater. The day before that, pop clinician Dr. Dog stops by on the same night as the collaboration between knotty rappers Madlib and Freddie Gibbs. There…

The best EDM shows in Denver this weekend

FRI | ADAM BEYER at NORAD | 3/8/14 It’s entirely appropriate that Adam Beyer’s techno label bears the handle Drumcode, considering that the techno enthusiast was a drummer in his teenage years before turning to electronic music in 1990, when he purchased his first set of turntables. Although the Swedish…

Angel Olsen talks about her imperfect new recording

Though Angel Olsen’s music is often dubbed folk or indie rock, it is too diverse to fit neatly into such broad categories. Whatever it’s filed under, her music, especially her latest album, Burn Your Fire for No Witness, is informed by a delicacy of feeling that allows her to channel…

Big Gigantic

Big Gigantic’s fifth studio album in as many years is a clear sign that saxophonist/producer Dominic Lalli has truly stepped into his own world of music. “Clvdbvrst” opens the album with a plethora of styles; from there, listeners are treated to an explosion of jazzy saxophone foundations framing big beats…

Dwarf Planets

With a name like Dwarf Planets and cover art that depicts the sun and two planets, you might guess that the music inside the sleeve has a prog-rock or even new-age influence. But about twenty seconds into “Ice Rain,” the opening cut on this seven-song disc, it’s evident that Boulder’s…

The Soul Pros

“Soul” is obviously the key word here, and the Soul Pros have plenty of it. Anchored by A-L, a fantastic producer and DJ with a deep understanding of sound, song progression and how to blend samples, Soul’d Out also features two excellent MCs who make A-L’s beats sound even better…

Weed Problem

Rarely have a project and album name fit their music as perfectly as Weed Problem and its self-titled release. “Noddy Drug Kits” flows with a buzzy drone that is never fully resolved but just continues to build while hazy, echoing chants undulate amid syncopated crashing guitar and drums. The sprawling…