Arctic Monkeys, Favourite Worst Nightmare (Domino). The Monkeys’ music sounds pretty much like it did when British journos anointed Alex Turner and company as saviors last year: bright, cheeky and danceable in a brisk (not awe-inspiring) way. With the hype blessedly waning, maybe they can finally be seen as the…
Here’s a fun project for the kiddies: Take all the Nekromantix albums that are lying around and make a flip-book out of the covers. Then watch the three disembodied heads grimace and squirm like a badly drawn Hanna-Barbera cartoon (as if there was any other kind). Well, actually, you may…
Ethan Buckler once played bass for Slint, a Kentucky outfit whose ultra-serious approach to modern rock was rightly beloved by critics. Apparently all those good notices became a drag, though, because shortly after appearing on 1989’s Steve Albini-produced Tweez, he split to form King Kong, a group whose brand of…
Until recently, aficionados of hard rock and hardcore tended to reject each other’s favorite sounds for reasons that had more to do with lifestyle than music. Fortunately, however, such nonsensical barriers are breaking down. Take today’s KBPI Birthday Bash, which features relatively traditional noisemakers such as HellYeah on the same…
Young Galaxy could easily be pegged as yet another dreamy space-rock band. But instead of opting for the distorted, frayed tones favored by many groups mining similar territory, the act aims more for the bright-edged grandeur (and borderline sappiness) of Secret Migration-era Mercury Rev. Formed by ex-Stars guitarist Stephen Ramsay…
As the frontman for the gritty, visceral Coachwhips, John Dwyer whipped crowds into a frenzy. With the Ohsees, he’s slowed the pace considerably, from a breathless sprint to a crawl. Sucks Blood, the outfit’s most recent disc, is a drony, reverb-drenched, tremolo-laden psych-folk excursion that conjures the boozed-up ghost of…
I’ve heard a ton of people rave about Guitar Hero II, the video game that can turn virtually anyone into a shredding rock star, but I’d never seen the game in action until last Wednesday night at the 15th St. Tavern (1623 15th Street). These two guys were staring at…
Earlier this year, Landlordland seemed to come to an abrupt end — especially considering what a formidable live act it had grown into. For frenetic frontman Darren Dunn, however, the band’s shelf life had long since expired. With nearly a decade under his belt, he and bandmate Sylas Cooley were…
Thickly bearded and shrouded beneath a floppy hat, Sir Richard Bishop warmed up the eager, Monday night crowd. Sort of an edgier Leo Kottke, after about thirty minutes of lighting-quick guitar instrumentals he lightheartedly lambasted the freak folk scene, trying to count the beards in the crowd. Then he broke…
It’s almost June in Denver, and you know what that means, right? Yep. The beginning of summer is upon us. Listen, folks, I’ve seen the future, and here’s what we all have to look forward to: heat. More heat. Sweltering. Unbearable. Suffocating. Heat. As much as I’d like to pretend…
Here’s a good rule of thumb: Never trust what critics have to say about music, since most critics hardly trust what other critics have to say about music. Here’s another good rule of thumb: Ignore that first rule if said music critic is talking about the Hold Steady. The Brooklyn-based…
One of the last vestiges of the 1980s SST era, the Meat Puppets forged an independent punk-based sound that included elements of alternative country and psychedelic rock. Led by brothers Curt and Cris Kirkwood and Derrick Bostrom, the group hit radio pay dirt in 1994 with “Backwater,” from Too High…
Clutch has dodged being saddled with a label, primarily because of the illusion of reinvention it’s projected with each album. But the truth is, it’s just an illusion. Clutch is set in its ways, yet all of its music sounds like bold experimentation. On its latest effort, From Beale Street…
When it comes to organized religion, Erkekjetter Silenoz, the guitarist/ songwriter for Norway’s Dimmu Borgir, considers himself to be an equal-opportunity hater. “I think most people — at least our fans — know our stance against religion,” he says, his accent as deep as a fjord. “It doesn’t have to…
The latest by Leslie Feist has earned hosannas aplenty, and many of them are deserved. Still, listeners should be reminded that The Reminder won’t blow minds on contact. Because the best numbers are inherently subtle, the CD needs time to work its magic. Feist’s modesty is on display from phrase…
As Pitchfork once said of the group Silkworm, consistency without spectacle can make for a tough sell. This axiom also applies to the Sea and Cake, but it has been mitigated somewhat by the act’s danceability, which came to a head on 2000’s Oui and 2003’s One Bedroom, as its…
Mustangs and Madras continues to play a passionate brand of emo that’s woefully (and refreshingly) out of step with the times. From first listen, the act’s latest release recalls a bygone era when scenester kids took style cues from the geek chic of Rivers Cuomo rather than the guy-liner of…
Most retro acts try to duplicate the past — but Get Three Coffins Ready isn’t interested in mere restoration. Instead of driving the rock-instrumental styles of the ’50s and ’60s below the speed limit, the Coffins crew, who introduce this disc to the public at a Saturday, May 19, CD-release…
Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Strength & Loyalty (Interscope). How can a veteran group past its prime get back on top? By befriending Akon, who dominates the mewling yet undeniably catchy “I Tried.” Been-there, done-that cuts such as the cheesy, Fleetwood Mac-sampling “Wind Blow” have little follow-up single potential. But “Never Forget Me”…
They were able to sell more than five million copies of their bottom-shaking, new-wave-flavored debut, Hot Fuss. But the Killers clearly learned a thing or two about playing the long odds in their Vegas stamping grounds, returning last October with a second effort, Sam’s Town, that, surprisingly, owes less to…
The Eric McFadden Trio could just be the Band of Gypsys for the new millennium, a fact not lost on McFadden, who not only borrowed a few tricks from Hendrix, but even called his previous band the Eric McFadden Experience. In all fairness, though, McFadden’s scope runs wider. On 2005’s…
Does anyone truly know what indie rock sounds like? While the term is as ubiquitious as alt-rock was over a decade ago, it can also be extremely nebulous. Even so, there’s one musician whose music embodies the designation: Sam Jayne, one of the primary architects of the aesthetic. In the…
