The ten best concerts in Denver this week

PURITY RING @ GOTHIC THEATRE | MON, 4/8/13 Purity Ring came together when Megan James and Corin Roddick started writing electronic songs together after having served as touring members of experimental pop band Born Gold. Rather than rushing to put out material, this duo has spent the last couple of…

Sigur Rós at 1STBANK Center, 4/06/13

SIGUR ROS @ 1STBANK CENTER | 4/6/13 Sigur Rós could have ended the night on any of the expected high points from its various albums, but it opted to go out with “Popplagið,” the finale of its 2002 album ( ). That song could almost be a show in itself…

Uncle Nasty back on the air at 107.1 Jack FM

He’s back! After being unceremoniously let go at KBPI this past December by Clear Channel, Greg Stone, aka Uncle Nasty, is back on the air in Denver. The popular DJ and longtime local music supporter, who was a radio staple in the Mile High City for the better part of…

The ten greatest Midwest rappers of all time

The Midwest is the bastard child of the American rap scene at large — unsung and independent, with a massive chip on its shoulder. The most talented artists from the Midwest have succeeded each with their own unique style and flavor, regardless of what was making money elsewhere in the…

The best concerts in Denver this weekend

SIGUR ROS @ 1STBANK CENTER | SAT, 4/6/13 The Sugarcubes and Bjork garnered tremendous exposure for Iceland as a source of significant and innovative pop music, but it was Sigur Ros that gave the island nation’s music a bit of mystery. It is too simplistic to call this music post-rock,…

The best EDM in Denver this weekend

SUB.MISSION ANNIVERSARY @ BOPPO! | SAT, 4/6/13 Sub.mission knows dubstep, and to mark another year of its devotion to the true sound, Nicole Cacciavillano and her crew are hosting a real U.K. underground-style throwdown with V.I.V.E.K., who performed at last year’s party. He’s set to perform alongside the entire roster…

Spiritualized at Bluebird Theater, 4/4/13

SPIRITUALIZED @ BLUEBIRD THEATER | 4/4/13 With little more than the lights dimming to indicate the band was about to take stage, Spiritualized walked on stage and went right into “Here It Comes (The Road, Let’s Go),” which began an evening of music with no breaks or banter to break…

Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds at Ogden, 4/3/13

NICK CAVE & THE BAD SEEDS @ OGDEN THEATRE | 4/3/13 The most mythical moment of Nick Cave’s set last night at the Ogden Theatre came at the end when the band performed “Stagger Lee,” a re-casting of the Mississippi John Hurt classic “The Ballad of Stagger Lee.” With lurid…

Dead Orchids will bring the hi-dive to life with eerie sound

Based on its name alone, you might expect Dead Orchids (due at the hi-dive this Thursday, April 4) to be some heavy, dark, eyeliner-sporting band. Instead, the outfit plays a blend of blues rock, hard rock and smoky psychedelia. The music is familiar from years past, but the act has…

Shady Elders discuss their new lineup and democratic dynamic

Shady Elders started as a two-piece fronted by Britt Rodemich in 2011. Rodemich found a kindred spirit in guitarist Miles Eichner; the former Tulip Wars guitarist shared her love of dreamy, pop-oriented post-punk, as well as blues and jazz singers. When the Don’ts and Be Carefuls started winding down, Casey…

DJ Heather will mix things up at NORAD

DJ Heather grew up in a household in which eclectic music abounded, and as she got older, fate threw mixing opportunities her way, from a gig at a college radio station to a stint programming weekend music at a neighborhood pub. Those experiences led her to explore the ways that…

Sigur Rós

The Sugarcubes and Björk garnered tremendous exposure for Iceland as a source of significant and innovative pop music, but it was Sigur Rós that gave the island nation’s music a bit of mystery. It is too simplistic to call this music post-rock, because it’s also ambient, symphonic and accessibly avant-garde…

SpaceGhostPurrp

Once good friends with the A$AP crew, SpaceGhostPurrp is frequently credited with engineering the moody, atmospheric aesthetic that the group has capitalized on. Purrp relishes the darkness, and he manages to tell a lot about himself by revealing very little. His music is deeply introspective and bleakly isolationist, which further…

Spiritualized

Jason Pierce formed Spiritualized after the split of his previous band, the influential and fuzzily psychedelic Spacemen 3. In the move, Pierce shed most of the jagged, cutting guitar tones of his old group and went much further into dreamy atmospherics. Spiritualized’s full-length debut, 1992’s Lazer Guided Melodies, served as…