Surprisingly, spoken word is not often successfully combined with rap. On Nightdreams & Daymares, however, Bianca Mikahn does a flawless job of bridging the two. Pulling from deep wells of assonance, consonance and rhyme, Mikahn dances in the ebb and flow of Dile’s dreamy production, her free association finding and…
It’s clear that the members of We’s Us put a lot of care, attention and craft into their self-titled full-length. The evidence lies in the complex melodies, nuanced effects and layered sounds that mark each of the album’s fourteen tracks. A lengthy stretch of effects-laden guitar lines and augmented chords…
It’s fairly evident from “Jackson Town,” the opening cut on the Railsplitters’ twelve-song, self-titled debut, and tunes like “Lonesome Feeling” and “Blue Moon” that the Boulder-based quartet has a respectable handle on traditional bluegrass. But elsewhere on the disc, it’s clear that bluegrass and roots are also something of a…
On his new EP, Man Mantis demonstrates how a year or two of experimentation across a handful of singles has sharpened his creative output. Compared to the material on his last album (Cities Without Houses), the rhythm palette has been expanded, and the sense of space within arrangements has improved…
Back again here with another fresh batch of homegrown hip-hop. This week we’ve got a new club anthem from Myrical, a genre-blending gem from Hwood, a new cut from Trev Rich and sweet serenade from Boozilla with some help from Dae Dai. Continue on to see what’s good this week…
Superhumanoids (due this Friday, February 21, at the Ogden Theatre) formed in Los Angeles in 2009, when friends and multi-instrumentalists Cameron Parkins, Sarah Chernoff and Max St. John came together over a mutual interest in R&B and ’80s pop music. Though much has been made of the group’s connection to…
While Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Nat King Cole and Mel Torme made singing jazz standards part of their repertoire, some consider them to be more from the crooners school. Here we’ve put together a list of the ten of the best male singers who excelled in jazz, whether it be…
In his weekly column, award-winning goofball Shea Serrano, whose recent exploits include Bun B’s Rapper Coloring and Activity Book, writes about his life and times. Flickr/Javier Lopez Zavala Earlier this week, I went to the funeral of a person that I cared about. While I am of course happy that…
Pruitt Poythress (due at Artopia this Saturday, February 22) has crafted a sound that translates his fascination with the storytelling styles of hip-hop’s golden era into modern dance music. Creating big-room sounds minus the same old build-and-drop structure of most electronic sets, Pruitt works the ebbs and flows of his…
Carter Matthews, better known these days as Toy Box, is bringing a new voice to the Colorado EDM scene. With a live show complemented by live instrumentation — namely, a 1911 Gibson mandolin — Matthews is putting a new slant on dance music. We spoke with the young producer about…
The Wild Feathers (due at the Bluebird Theater this Friday, February 21) don’t hide their love for classic folk, rock and country. The Nashville quartet has made a kind of musical mission statement out of paying tribute to giants like Neil Young, Led Zeppelin and the Rolling Stones. The act’s…
Railroad Earth is due at the Boulder Theater on Friday, August 1, followed by a show at Red Rocks on Saturday, August 12, with Greensky Bluegrass and the Wood Brothers. Tickets for the latter show go on sale this Saturday, February 22, at 10 a.m. Flux Pavilion, meanwhile, headlines Red…
Back with another edition of In the Mix, a feature in which we spotlight new dance tracks and mixes from local producers and DJs. This week, we’ve got a tech-and-trap mix from Andy Immerman and Geodesic of the Souls In Action crew, a Valentine’s Day cut from Late Night Radio…
DEAFHEAVEN at MARQUIS THEATER | 2/16/14 There was some real emotional heft to Deafheaven’s set at the Marquis last night that was more visceral than most mere post-rock. Musically it felt like a fusion of black metal and a late ’90s post-hardcore, even treading into emo territory. The heaviness was…
Since its inception in 2003, Man Man (due Monday, February 17, at the Fox Theatre) has made music that defied easy categorization; if anything, it suggests that the bandmembers have listened to a whole lot of Captain Beefheart. The act’s album titles, often seemingly surrealistic, make interesting and creative cultural…
TUES | MANOWAR at OGDEN THEATRE | 2/18/14 Manowar is powered by lyrics crowned in fantasy-flamed swords, armor, and everything having to do with metal warfare clashing into Norse mythology. Eric Adams’s powerful vocals are steeped in wordy wizardry that really drives home the aggressive themes. “Man o’ War” was…
After teasing Denver with a couple of dates that were eventually scrapped altogether due to health issues on his part, Morrissey is finally slated to make his way to the Mile High City for what will surely be a highly anticipated show at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House on Saturday,…
The Avett Brothers are making their annual trek to Red Rocks, but this year, the outfit will be setting up shop for a three-night run with Bob Weir & Rat Dog on Friday, July 11, Lucero on Saturday, July 12, and Shovels and Rope on Sunday, July 13. Tickets for…
PIXIES at FILLMORE AUDITORIUM | 2/13/14 Like the Ramones, the Pixies took stage and had little in the way of breaks between songs. There was no banter, no awkward joking and no meandering dialogue while anyone tuned or tried to read a set list. The only interruptions came when the…
FRI & SAT | DEVOTCHKA at MERCURY CAFE | 2/14-2/15 DeVotchKa is for lovers. So is Valentine’s Day. An absolutely ideal pairing, the two have been making beautiful music together for years, and the former is celebrating the latter with a three-day run, the second night of which is slated…
FRI | WINTER WARMER FESTIVAL at FILLMORE | 2/14/14 Since dropping his debut solo album Dreaming of a Bigger Life, Michal Menert has been steadily touring the country building a grassroots following in the same way Derek Vincent Smith of Pretty Lights did when he first hit the scene. Menert…
SnowBall Music Festival just revealed the first acts on its bill for the 2014 edition of its annual event. The festival, launched in 2011, is making its way down from the mountains this year and setting up shop at the Park at Mile High at Sports Authority Field, and when…
