If it’s true that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then a number of celebrated indie-rock bands should be positively gushing after hearing this record. Flashbulb Fires (formerly the Atlantic and Fiance) recalls a more sullen Arcade Fire, an act it name-checks in its bio; although Flashbulb Fires is…
The inaugural Hot Congress compilation cannot be fenced by any description other than “from Denver.” There is simply too much happening, too many moods and sounds, and nearly as many totally distinct voices as there are bands (eleven). What the comp lacks in singular vision, it makes up for in…
There was a time when Action Packed Thrill Ride’s tunes were steeped in countrified Americana, but over the four years the band has been at it, the sound has evolved. The quartet, which began as Lucas Johannes’s solo project, hasn’t completely abandoned its backwoods roots on this three-song EP; there’s…
“Holodeck” begins this initial offering from experimental electronic project Hideous Men with cycling low-end white noise to suggest the thrum of distant interstellar engines. But in short order, a gently executed mixture of neo-tribal rhythms and tropical pop weaves layers on top of and within each other. The resulting three-dimensional…
In 2006, Oblio Duo + The Archers established itself as a pillar of Denver’s hipster-country scene with The Flag, striking a just-right balance between mellow steel guitars and experimental weirdness. After a long wait, the partners are finally prepping to release a seven-inch split EP with Reno’s Flags on Fire…
Hot Congress doesn’t function as a musical collective so much as a support system between friends and compatriots in one strand of the underground music scene in Denver. Beginning in January 2009 with members of a handful of bands, the Congress convened its first meetings and discussed the vision for…
The roots of Swedish techno producer Mikael Stavöstrand go back to the industrial scene of the early ’90s. He later delved into experimental music and noise before finally introducing dance beats to the mix in 2001. “When I started doing minimal techno, around eight years ago, I made so-called ‘clicks…
Next Wednesday night, December 16, composer Phil Kline is bringing his Unsilent Night, made famous on the streets of New York, to Denver. Similar to the Flaming Lips famous mid-’90s Boombox Experiments — or predating those by at least four years — Kline basically enlists a bunch of people in…
Just received word from the folks at Live Nation that the Weezer gig originally slated for Saturday, January 17 at the Fillmore has been postponed with no new date announced. While no official reason was given, we’re guessing frontman Rivers Cuomo is going to need more time to recover from…
Wow, do we love the crazy mind-melt of this image. We’re not sure if its an original image or was appropriated from some anthropology textbook article about one of those tribes with a tendency toward chewing up the flora to reach the depths of inner space. Either way, it’s a…
The saga continues. Back in September, you might remember, Isaac Slade and Joe King of the Fray filed a lawsuit in U.S. District court against Gregg Alan Corp, a company headed by their former manager, Gregg Latterman, alleging that a portion of their publishing was procured without their knowledge. This…
Zero 7 with Phantogram Monday, December 7, 2009 Ogden Theatre Better than: Listening to a DJ spin trip-hop and ambient pop — they’re kicking it live on stage! A couple of years ago, it was unclear whether trip-hop/electro-pop heavyweights Zero 7 — comprising producers Henry Binns and Sam Hardaker –…
While recording songs for Jim Sampas’ documentary about Jack Kerouac, Son Volt’s Jay Farrar and Death Cab for Cutie’s Benjamin Gibbard realized they both shared an affinity for the famed Beat writer. After recording songs for the film, the pair continued to work on songs using words from Kerouac’s novel…
My experience with poetry slams is almost nonexistent, so someone tell me: Do most poetry slams feature awkward rap battles between goofy white guys named Lando Calrhymian and MC ChewRocka, meditation on Gungan penis, and appearances by a a marching band led by Boba Fett? Because the George Lucas Poetry…
A few months ago, we were excited to hear that ambient lo-fi electro-pop act George&Caplin had a remix EP forthcoming on Plastic Sound Supply. This weekend, it hit and it’s quite nice. The EP revisits just over half of the group’s last release, He Really Got Through to Advertising, and…
The five hand-painted guitars signed by ten Nobel Peace Prize winners that will be auctioned off on eBay today are truly for the man who has everything — although “that’s not true until they buy one of the guitars!,” points out Ivan Suvanjieff, the founder of PeaceJam, the organization that…
The Don’ts & Be Carefuls, Pep*Squad, Josephine and the Mousepeople, Lungs They Burn, I Sank Molly Brown Friday, December 4, 2009 The Meadowlark Better Than: Butt Shakin’ So it was mostly a big dance party at the Meadowlark, the sort of night where you show your approval with abandon and…
Moonspeed with Widowers Saturday, December 5, 2009 Larimer Lounge Better Than: A CD release show with an overloaded line-up. After an extended break from performance, Widowers played its first show in a few months. The sonic configuration for this show seemed cleaner and more spare than in the past, but…
Outlaw country men, The Railbenders, whose frontman, Jim Dalton, is currently moonlighting with Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers, are preparing to release a new album on Friday, December 11 at the Bluebird. And since value seems to be the order of the day these days in the world of music,…
We would hate for you to miss out on all the awesome that happens every weekend in our fair city, so we’ve decided to run down three of the best shows in one easy-to-swallow post, with video and audio. Tell us — and the rest of the world — what…
What are you doing on Sunday, January 31? Haven’t thought about it yet? Bet those Fray kids have. In fact, we’re going to guess that they know exactly what they’re doing that night. We don’t have access to the band’s itenerary or anything like that, but something tells us that…
We knew something was underfoot every time we made our way through the I-36 corridor and noticed more and more progress being made on what we’ve now discovered will be a pedestrian foot bridge going over the highway where the Broomfield Event Center sits, in between the 104th and Wadsworth…
