The Black Angels have always resembled the stoners whom other stoners fear, and maybe that’s the truth. Their riffs sound like heavy metal being played through an impenetrable waterfall of boiling toxic waste, but on their new Phosphene Dream, the Angels have honed what was previously unrelenting sludginess into jagged…
Before entering Serbian mythology as the “Adversary of God,” the third- and fourth-century Roman emperor Diocletian saw himself as a restorer of traditional values and religion. His widespread persecution of the Christians in trying to do so earned him lasting infamy. Clearly inspired in part by the more lurid stories…
This one’s almost all guitar — big, distorted, consuming guitar, the kind that you’re forced to brace yourself against. Cassidy Gates’s vocals must be shouted to compete with the noise. He keeps it simple: This is rock and roll, not poetry, so long vowels and exclamations work just as well…
Before he became the keyboardist of the Nicotine Fits, Chris Bullock performed around the Front Range as Tall City. Part musical project, part literary vehicle, Soft Sunlight is a typical Tall City release. Bullock has found a way to fit the cadences of his poetry into the context of what…
Sarina Simoom has existed in various forms since 1995, when Jenna Herbst started the band in Washington, D.C. Herbst has been in Denver more than ten years now, and the band has been sort of on and off during that time. Currently, Sarina Simoom is Herbst on guitar and vocals,…
Before becoming the bassist for Queens of the Stone Age in 2007, Michael Shuman played in the bands Jubilee and Wires on Fire, the latter of which still benefits from his musical prowess. In 2009, Shuman formed Mini Mansions between obligations with Queens, and in sharp contrast to his work…
San Francisco-based dubstep producer/DJ Antiserum is aptly named: His dark, wobbling bass lines and heavy beats might just prevent infection from the dripping-with-cheese, over-the-top trance-heavy lineups prevalent across town this season. He’s been at the forefront of the West Coast dubstep movement, touring across this country and Canada as well…
Hot on the heels of the Limewire injunction, an appeals court in Sweden recently upheld the copyright convictions of three of the men behind the file-sharing repository Pirate Bay. The appeal, which was filed in reply to the conviction in April of 2009, contends that the site’s owners were not…
A few weeks ago, we joked about Prime Element cats, uh, getting prime exposure with the Dew Tour. But seriously, at this point, the dudes might want to just go ahead and change their name once again to Prime Exposure. In addition to the notice they’re sure to attract with…
Tonight’s hi-dive show headliner Freelance Whales are great and all, but we think tour mates Miniature Tigers are equally worth a mention. Part Ben Gibbard, part Kevin Barnes, bandleader and backbone Charlie Brand creates the kind of intelligent pop music that can only get better with time…
Based out of Queens, New York, Freelance Whales (due tonight at the hi-dive with Minature Tigers) play the kind of atmospheric, experimental pop music that is often lumped under the umbrella genre title of “chamber pop.” That’s probably because the band actually seems to take care to craft songs that…
EMMITT-NERSHI BAND With Spring Creek 11.26.10 | Bluebird Theater The Emmitt-Nershi Band is what happens when you get two of the biggest names to ever come out of jam-rock in Colorado and bring them back to their rootsy home. Comprising Drew Emmitt of Leftover Salmon and Bill Nershi of String…
REGRET NIGHT with Caramel Carmela • SkyFox • Places 11.27.10 | Summit Music Hall Regret Night headlined the Summit Music Hall on Saturday night after sets by Places, SkyFox and Caramel Carmela. The show didn’t exactly bring out the biggest crowd, but with the holidays just passing, followed by Black…
BLONDE REDHEAD With Ólöf Arnalds 11.27.10 | Ogden Theatre With the swirling fog and twin spotlights bathing her in white light, Ólöf Arnalds seemed like a mythical forest creature manifesting springtime wherever she stands — which was fitting because her whole persona was one of an innocence and playfulness. It…
British music magazine MOJO referred to Ólöf Arnalds (due tonight at the Ogden Theatre with Blonde Redhead) as “Reykjavic’s answer to Kate Bush,” which is fair enough considering Arnalds’ gorgeously otherworldly singing and penchant for writing songs that cannot be linked directly to any particular musical genre other than the…
KTCL’s Not So Silent Night with 3OH!3 Innerparty System | Oh My Stars | The Epilogues 11.26.10 | 1STBANK Center View 3OH!3 at 1STBANK slideshow Watching 3OH!3’s rise over the last few years has been an interesting one, and the best gauge of the duo’s hometown success has been the…
The super-official, absolutely real, Record Store Day might have been earlier this year, but there’s no reason why we can’t celebrate our favorite holiday twice. Instead of cutting each other’s throats and arguing with old folks at the mall today, maybe you’d like to consider spending your Black Friday picking…
Early in its career, Blonde Redhead clearly drew inspiration from DNA, whose song was the inspiration for the band’s name. But instead of solely offering up atonal squalls and musical deconstruction, Blonde Redhead’s songwriting also flirted with haunted melodies…
The once-nomadic-now-settled Nederland folk quintet Elephant Revival is celebrating the release of its second album, Break In The Clouds, tonight at the Walnut Room, but this isn’t just a regular old release show. The band is also offering up a “meet and greet” session as part of the evening engagement,…
BONOBO | 11.24.10 | Ogden Theatre Bonobo, aka Simon Green, is touring in support of his latest album, Black Sands — and he brings with him enough instrumentalists to accurately reproduce its sweeping, orchestral sounds, plus Andreya Triana, the vocalist whose haunting, lovely voice is heard on several Black Sands…
If you read our review of Roger Waters at the Pepsi Center last night, you know it was a show not to be missed. As a band, Pink Floyd is in that select (but growing none the less) group of bands whose fans are more like soldiers, proudly wearing the…
If you’re looking for a handy way to snap out of your tryptophan-induced coma tomorrow evening, Tim Alexander, aka DJ Tower, will be holding down his regular slot at Milk Bar for ZOMG Thursday. Tower has been running the weekly electro-heavy event for the better part of a year, bringing…
