Box Elders

Like a Brillo pad stuffed with a gooey cream filling, Nebraska's Box Elders smuggle sweet and luscious pop songs inside a raw, scratchy-as-hell shell. It's not a new recipe, but Box Elders know how to make it their own; brothers Clayton and Jeremiah McIntyre, along with drummer/organist Dave Goldberg, ooze...

By Jason Heller

October 8, 2009

[
        {
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Inline Content - Mobile Display Size",
          "component": "12017618",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "17242653",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18838239",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17261320",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18838239",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - Leaderboard Tower - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17261321",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        }
      ]

Like a Brillo pad stuffed with a gooey cream filling, Nebraska's Box Elders smuggle sweet and luscious pop songs inside a raw, scratchy-as-hell shell. It's not a new recipe, but Box Elders know how to make it their own; brothers Clayton and Jeremiah McIntyre, along with drummer/organist Dave Goldberg, ooze messy glee and crackly noise while piledriving their way through pop gems as gleaming and pure as those of Half Japanese or the Jesus and Mary Chain. The young group's garage ethos, though, come off as more than an attitude; with Jay Reatard on one side and Vivian Girls on the other, Box Elders (and their gut-punching debut full-length, Alice and Friends) are reinventing indie rock at a time when the genre needs more sloppiness, more joy and a hell of a lot less ego.

Become A Member

BEFORE YOU GO...
Can you help us continue to share our stories? Since the beginning, Westword has been defined as the free, independent voice of Denver — and we'd like to keep it that way. Our members allow us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls.