After fifteen-minute phenomenon Death From Above 1979 melted down, bassist Jesse Keeler joined up with producer Al P to make MSTRKRFT his full-time gig. MSTRKRFT takes the anarchic dance-punk chaos of Keeler’s former band and transmutes it into teched-out, disco-fueled electro-house. Raw, growling synthesizer tones chug out big, infectiously catchy…
During the past two decades, producer/engineer Bob Ferbrache has assisted the Fluid, 16 Horsepower and many of Denver’s most interesting acts. Before establishing his mile-high reputation, however, he recorded and played with the gothically in-clined Soul Merchants, and the listenability of this remastered two-CD compilation testifies to his skills. The…
From the opening cut of Wake-Up Time, Iuengliss’s latest effort, the act invokes the feeling of rising on a sunny day in early spring, after the snows have subsided and the burning heat of the summer is still weeks away. Fittingly titled, the disc captivates the imagination while simultaneously refreshing…
On La Cucaracha, Ween continues its tradition of delivering polymorphous albums full of brilliant, warped pop songs graced with lyrics that range from the nonsensical to the silly to the outright offensive. Sliding effortlessly between styles, genres and sounds, the album finds the Brothers Ween making odd juxtapositions and placing…
There’s so much about Coheed and Cambria’s work that cries out for ridicule: the ’70s-art-rock-derived instrumental wankery, the skyscraping, get-your-Geddy-on vocals and more. Somehow, though, the act’s latest release works in spite of itself. No World for Tomorrow represents the final chapter of “The Armory Wars,” the epic tale of…
Public Enemy, which shares this bill with the Flobots, is entering new territory with each passing day. Throughout the twenty years since the release of 1987’s Yo! Bum Rush the Show, the group has remained a going concern — a claim no other major hip-hop collective can make. Of course,…
The Disney Channel has perfected a four-part approach to tween marketing. Step A: Find a telegenic youth. Step B: Build her into a suburban superstar. Step C: Milk her until her udders are dry. Step D: Begin promoting her to a slightly older audience while introducing a similarly telegenic youth…
It’s been a tumultuous year for Phonte and Big Pooh of Little Brother, the Durham, North Carolina, group that became one of underground hip-hop’s brightest stars at the beginning of the decade. 2007 saw them part ways with producer 9th Wonder, who seemed to have his hands full producing for…
When seventeen-year-old Taylor Swift takes the stage at the Grizzly Rose this weekend, fans will have the opportunity to witness a superstar in the making. Swift is one of a rare breed of female solo artists who put their own material front and center, and her self-titled debut showcases songwriting…
John Vanderslice and Flying Saucer Attack proved that home recordings could be just as layered and rich as anything recorded in a “real” studio. The Helio Sequence’s expansive sound comprises engulfing atmospheres, swirling melodies and propulsive rhythms, and the band’s psychedelic flavorings lend the music a deliciously heady quality reminiscent…
As promised in this week’s Beatdown, the following is a breakdown of entrance music for many of your favorite Rockies players. The songs are reportedly chosen by the players themselves, and while some of the selections make total sense (Todd Helton and Josh Fogg’s picks are no-brainers), others are a…
The Born Ruffians and Caribou Larimer Lounge October 23, 2007 Better than: An acid flashback The cold, fall air wafting in through the open doors on either end of the Larimer Lounge had just about numbed my feet and I was beginning to consider either starting a fire in the…
The accompanying Q&A with Chuck D of Public Enemy, keyed to an appearance by the venerable group that’s previewed in the October 25 Westword, provides a perfect excuse to unearth a profile of PE’s Professor Griff. The piece, complete with the very same image seen here, was published in March…
Electric Six, Gore Gore Girls and We Are the Fury October 22, 2007, Larimer Lounge Better than: Trying to remember an album name like I Shall Exterminate Everything Around Me That Restricts Me from Being the Master “Kill Hollywood Rock” was stenciled on the guitar player’s Marshall cabinet, which alone…
Polyphonic Spree and Rooney The Gothic Theatre October 22, 2007 Better than: Being the sound guy for the Polyphonic Spree, that’s got to be a bitch. Having Rooney open for Polyphonic Spree was like watching a drunk fight a rooster, followed by Zeus battling Poseidon on Mt. Olympus. Not only…
Aesop Rock The Fox Theatre October 19, 2007 Better Than: Whatever CD your roommate currently thinks qualifies as “some real MC shit.” For years, Aesop Rock has been the poster boy for the frustrating gulf between the chart-topping rapper that perpetuates lazy stereotypes and the subterranean MC that consistently defies…
Here’s a sample of the week’s best music blogging from around the Village Voice Media empire: Okay, you can go to your gig, but be home by 9:30, it’s a school night: A fantastic piece on Care Bears on Fire, a pre-pubescent punk trio. Satan, self-mutilation, porn stars, a mind-bogglingly…
Josh Ritter Fox Theatre October 18, 2007 I expected Josh Ritter to be one of those cigarette-smoking, whiskey-drinking troubadour types who is too “real” for this world. His songs channel just about every great American singer/songwriter before him and have that back-roads twang of authenticity. But Ritter has the persona…
Mike Dillon’s Go-Go Jungle, the Dead Kenny Gs, and Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey October 17, 2007 Fox Theatre Better than: Doing bong hits and listening to Sailing the Seas of Cheese As I entered Boulder’s landmark Fox Theatre for last night’s jazz jam extravaganza, two visibly inebriated sorority sisters stumbled…
Vonnegut, The Frequent Sea and Stars of Track and Field October 17, 2007 The hi-dive Better than: My usual weeknight plan of quietly drinking myself into oblivion – but only barely. Kurt Vonnegut, the writer, was incisive, witty, brilliant and unique. So I expect a lot – a lot—from a…
We don’t hear many stories about prominent artists going the extra mile for fans – particularly if it means a hit to their wallet. But Underworld is currently doing so by giving away a copy of its just-released CD, Oblivion With Bells, to each ticket buyer who attended a troubled…
I love hardcore. I love the intensity, directness and simplicity of the music. Although the sound has evolved stylistically over the years, the groups that rule today aren’t that far removed from the bands I loved growing up. While so much of the music industry is influenced by trends and…
