The Swindlers

Things don’t always work out how you planned. Given the copyright date on the back of this one (when the band originally intended to release this disc), that clearly seems to be the case here. Regardless of how long it took to issue, the Swindlers’ latest is a great. Filing…

James Hunter

Europeans often display greater appreciation for American soul and blues than does the average U.S. citizen. Yet English singer-songwriter James Hunter takes his love of these genres to startling extremes, channeling the sound and style of vintage R&B in a manner that transcends mere imitation. The Hard Way, his new…

Ray LaMontagne

Unfortunately, the creamiest talent doesn’t always rise to the top — which explains in part why the growing popularity of Ray LaMontagne (who joins Ingrid Michaelson at a taping of etown) is so gratifying. The folk-and-roots-infused music he makes is about as trendy as bustles and Sansabelt slacks, and the…

Teeth Mountain

Although Baltimore, Maryland may not be the home of the new wave of tribal sounds in underground music, it is most certainly one of that movement’s centers — as evidenced by Teeth Mountain, which uses driving percussion in layers like some bands use guitars. The outfit’s hypnotic drones, which at…

Kay Kay And His Weathered Underground

Hailing from Seattle, Kay Kay and His Weathered Underground is a loose collective of musicians anchored by Kirk Huffman and Kyle O’Quin (K and K, get it?), both erstwhile members of the melodic punk sextet Gatsby’s American Dream. So there’s no “Kay Kay,” per se, but there can be as…

Black Kids

Last year, Black Kids released a blogosphere-revered EP full of electro-tinged dance songs addressing themes of incest and gender ambiguity. The Jacksonville quintet’s full-length debut Partie Traumatic contains the entire EP and six more songs continuing in the same, party-starting-then-party-fouling vein. Nearly all the tracks boast immediately accessible progressions and…

Hercules and Love Affair

Despite all the chatter about Antony and Tim Goldsworthy — and make no mistake, they’re both crucial to the success of this album — Hercules and Love Affair is very much the brainchild of Andrew Butler. The New York-by-way-of-Denver DJ shares his DFA cohorts’ ability to channel the entire history…

Blue Million Miles is Building Walls, only to tear them down.

In November of 2006, the former members of Small Objects recruited a new drummer and adopted the name Blue Million Miles, which they borrowed from an old Captain Beefheart song. The quality of the songwriting didn’t fundamentally change, but the act went from a solid indie band to a full-fledged…

Weezer Coming Back to Denver… Uh, We Think

Although we’ve yet to receive a press release confirming a date, we’re pretty sure Weezer is going to be coming to town on this leg of its tour. At least that’s what we can deduce from the video posted after the jump. Pulling a page from Tom Waits Glitter and…

This Just In 8/7-8/13

Panic at the Disco hits Broomfield Event Center Oct. 17. It’s been an insanely busy week for concert announcements. We also just got word that Moby will in town for DNC and doing a DJ set at the Church on Wednesday, August 27. But in the meantime, here’s a sampling…

Live Review: Eef Barzelay w/The Tanukis and Pee at Hi-Dive

Eef Barzelay played the Hi Dive Monday night. Photos by Tom Murphy. Eef Barzelay w/The Tanukis and Pee Pee Monday, August 4th, 2008 Hi-Dive, Denver Better Than: A show with songwriters peddling hackneyed premises. When I got to the Hi-Dive, I discovered I’d missed all but the last two songs…

Apples in Stereo on Colbert Report

The Apples in Stereo still list Denver as their home on their MySpace page. And you know what? We’re totally cool with that. For one, it’s kind of true: Eric Allen and John Hill still live here — the former, in fact, name check Paper Bird in a recent interview…

R.I.P. Amy Fisher

Don’t let the sunshine and blue skies fool you: It’s yet another downcast day in the Mile High City. It’s with a heavy heart that we bring you word of Amy Fisher’s passing this past weekend. Countless members of the Denver music community know Fisher from her years of working…

Live Review: Tickle Me Pink at Cervantes’

Photo: Jon Solomon See a slideshow of Sunday’s show, plus other music and arts slideshows, at westword.com/slideshow. Tickle Me Pink, Foxy Shazam, Scary Kids Scaring Kids, Finch Sunday, August 3, 2008 Cervantes’ Masterpiece Ballroom Better than: Remembering a fallen friend with a quiet and staid ceremony. It was the sight…

Live Review: UMS Day Two, Baker District

UMS Day Two Saturday, August 2, 2008 The Baker District, Denver Better Than: Spending the afternoon regretting not going. Due to a prior engagement, I only caught a few bands for this second day of the festival and in capsule format once again: Hunter Dragon & Fridge Magnet, Indy Ink,…

Live Review: UMS Day One, Baker District

UMS Day One Friday, August 1, 2008 The Baker District, Denver Better Than: Having to miss some of the best bands in Denver in spite of everything. There were plenty of reasons for me not to go to this festival, but ultimately, it would mean having to miss out on…