No one will ever mistake Art Brut for a hip-hop act; musically, the London-based combo specializes in power-pop edginess, new-millennium style. Nonetheless, frontman Eddie Argos’s vocals are every bit as declamatory as any rap MC’s, if considerably wittier and more jaundiced than the vast majority. On It’s a Bit Complicated,…
Here’s a selection of the best of last week’s music blogging from around the Village Voice Media empire: My interest in Gogol Bordello is officially increased by a thousand percent after reading this review that compares the singer to Cousin Balki, from the ‘80s show Perfect Strangers, on a liter…
Widowers, Astrophagus, Dualistics, d. biddle November 2, 2007 hi-dive Better than: Dodging golf shirts on Santa Fe during yet another First Friday Lately, I’ve been puzzled by the sequencing of artists in shows at the hi-dive. For example, when 3OH!3 played the club back in August, the duo – riding…
3oh!3 October 31, 2007 Fox Theater Better Than: Getting pepper sprayed by police during a previous Boulder Halloween riot. I think it was Ethan Hawke who I saw in a recent interview talking about the struggles of being white and upper middle class in America. He wasn’t being ironic at…
Autokinoton, Yakuza, Jesu October 31, 2007 Marquis Theater Soaking in a few hours of heavy music played at ear-splitting volume seemed an ideal way to spend Halloween this year. This all-ages show comprised three very different bands with three very different aural skull-crushing techniques. Though most of the crowd was…
Signing to a major label these days is a dubious proposition. Yesterday’s kingmakers no longer have exclusive control of the dissemination of new music and appear to be completely rudderless as they attempt to navigate the digital waters. Last month, Radiohead put itself in the vanguard of the digital revolution…
Kevin Drew is pacing the streets of Birmingham, England, a little on edge and distinctly agitated. Two days ago, Bill Priddle, a guitarist he calls “the driving force in terms of the guitar playing in the band,” broke his collarbone, putting the future of Drew’s tour in jeopardy. “We’re kind…
If Northern State’s Julie Potash was bitter, no one would have blamed her. Although All City, the New York-based hip-hop hybrid’s first release for Columbia Records, made Rolling Stone’s list of 2004’s top fifty albums, the relationship between band and corporate master soon soured, preventing Potash and her fellow rhymers…
Pete Wernick began his long career as one of bluegrass’s most accomplished purveyors in the most unlikely of places: New York. Since moving to Colorado in 1976, “Dr. Banjo” has gained renown with the legendary group Hot Rize and demonstrated his plucking skills with such groups as Phish, Leftover Salmon…
Before Argentinean Federico Aubele began working on his latest release, Panamericana, he realized that most of the music that influenced him, particularly reggae, hip-hop and tango, came from the Americas. So the Pan-American Highway, a network of roads that runs from the tip of Argentina to Alaska, became the ideal…
Listening to the ridiculously accomplished, hyper-speed, eardrum-melting deathcore/grind on Job for a Cowboy’s debut full-length, Genesis — blast beats, demon-growl vocals and mauling razorwire riffs galore — you figure these have got to be some burly, bearded Scandinavian metal vets who’ve wallowed in the shit of life for years. Somewhat…
Why was Paramore the breakout band from this year’s Warped Tour? As its appearance at Warped’s Denver stop demonstrated, the Tennessee-based outfit (currently touring with the Starting Line and Set Your Goals) has plenty of appeal, albeit of the gender-specific variety. While the group didn’t deliver a powerhouse set, singer…
While Amy Winehouse mined the albums of ’60s girl groups and Phil Spector for inspiration on Back to Black, the three gals in the Pipettes take a much more playful approach to that era. On its debut, We Are the Pipettes, the British group takes a few vocal cues from…
Why did My December, Kelly Clarkson’s latest CD, cause such a stir? Because it was better than anyone anticipated. Clarkson, of course, smooched fame thanks to American Idol, and while many of her subsequent recordings — particularly “Miss Independent” and “Since U Been Gone” — were mighty catchy, they remained…
Over the course of twenty years, eight studio albums and one live offering, Prong has shared musicians with Swans, Danzig, Ministry, Killing Joke and, uh, Madonna. While copping to backing that last artist is probably a confession best left to the dance floor, consider that bassist Monte Pittman also provided…
One of the last places you’d expect atmospheric and uplifting music to emerge would be Montrose, Colorado — but that’s where Cody Crump resided until a recent move to Denver. The First Movement is his debut solo release. As a member of post-rock band Edison Gale, Crump honed his ear…
“Prescription Kills,” one of the catchier tunes on the Daily Afflictions’ new CD, Dive On In, pivots on the phrase “blah, blah, bullshit.” And while these words can’t be applied to the disc itself, production woes prevent the al-bum from making much of an impression. Lead singer Timothy Ott’s voice…
A more accurate title for Carrie Underwood’s latest effort would be Kiddie Coaster, because this is one boring ride. The sophomore release from country music’s favorite Idol provides few thrills as it mechanically runs around in circles, all the while showing just how little Underwood has matured as a vocalist…
Eagles Don Henley, Glenn Frey, Joe Walsh and Timothy B. Schmit may all love music, but they don’t make it collectively unless there’s a mammoth payday involved. Maybe that’s why this set, which is being released through a profit-maximizing deal with Wal-Mart, seems more inspired by commerce than art. The…
60 Watt Kid, 60 Watt Kid (Absolutely Kosher). On their eponymous debut, San Francisco Kids Kevin Litrow, Derek Thomas and Garrett Pierce strike an appropriate balance between the twisted past and the unknowable future. On cuts such as “Every Day” and “Time of Mad Scientists,” the three pit retro keys…
The term “art rock” has fallen out of favor in recent years, largely because of its close association with certain pretentious and tedious ’70s-era acts. (Can I name one of the worst offenders? The answer is…Yes!) Last year, however, a gaggle of enterprising locals decided to resurrect the descriptor by…
So I’m driving up that hill on McCaslin Boulevard just before South Boulder Road, and this guy in a station wagon is merging into my lane, only he’s not really merging — he’s speeding up when he should be putting on the brakes and letting me pass. I move over…
