Ex-Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr knows a little something about dealing with strong-willed vocalists, so it’s no surprise that his contributions to the poppiest Modest Mouse record yet are solid. But it’s still a treat to hear how focused Isaac Brock and company are on the lushly arranged Ship, perhaps thanks…
Treated like rock gods in the U.K., the Kings are, unbelievably, still only the prince’s footmen at home — despite two phenomenal records. Unfortunately, their latest, Because of the Times, is a disappointment, a record full of wandering sonic sketches that never really coalesce. Tracks range from vapid (“Charmer,” “Camaro”)…
Distrakt is what you would call the complete package: a skilled MC and a brilliant producer who’s got his hustle down cold. On his latest effort, the Colorado Springs-based rapper puts all of these talents on full display. On cuts such as the DJ Premier-esque “Don’t Get Mad,” the off-key,…
George Inai’s latest boasts the most creative design of any local release in recent memory: a modified digipack with folk-art graphics from which the disc rises, pop-up style, when opened. The music inside would have to be mighty good to measure up, and it comes awfully close. This Foolish Music,…
Acute, Arms Around a Stranger (Help Records). Produced by Dave Trumfio, who worked wonders for My Morning Jacket and Wilco, this debut full-length is a solid step forward. Building on the eclectic songwriting Acute displayed on its 2006 EP, the act continues to craft catchy pop hooks that hit home…
Few songwriters these days can claim to have such undeniably hip credentials as Maria Taylor. After getting her start in the teenage pop band Little Red Rocket, which drew comparisons to Belly and Elastica, she and longtime friend Orenda Fink became touring members of Bright Eyes. In addition to adding…
Even though Stephen Marley has been producing and performing music since 1978, it wasn’t until last month that he dropped his debut album, Mind Control. In the same vein as his brother Damian’s last album, Welcome to Jamrock (which Stephen produced), Control is a mix of dancehall, hip-hop and classic…
Menomena’s music is supposedly synthetic in origin. The Portland trio reportedly composes many of its songs on looping software created by one of its members, multi-instrumentalist Brent Knopf. In reality, though, those songs sound far more organic than the average computer-driven drivel. Sure, after a few spins you can pick…
Justin Moyer has more musical personas than Lindsay Lohan has failed trips to rehab. He previously split his time between Supersystem, an electro-combo he led as crazy/cool rocker Justin Destroyer, and Edie Sedgwick, a bizarre solo project inspired by the Warhol-era “It” girl, whom he channeled while wearing makeup and…
A friend recently described Corinne Bailey Rae, who’s touring with John Legend, as a black musician being marketed to white people who don’t really like black music — and while this observation is as politically incorrect as it can be, it’s not entirely unfounded. Although “Put Your Records On,” the…
If Skip Reeves had his way, Denver would be one city under a groove. The self-proclaimed Funktologist is pumping the funk back into the Mile High City every Saturday night with his Funk Above the Rest show on KUVO, spinning everything from Larry Graham and Funkadelic to the Gap Band…
In a time when war without end looms on the horizon and impending economic and ecological disaster hangs over us like a Sword of Damocles, it’s easy to forget the little things that sustain us. Luckily, there are groups like the Kissing Party to help keep us centered, with songs…
Last week, the Denver music scene lost a legendary figure when Terry Dalton passed away at the young age of 59. The renowned singer-songwriter and open-mike host died at his home on Friday, March 23. Dalton will be fondly remembered for his “humor and his razor sharp wit,” says his…
Being blind is no laughing matter — which means that jokes about being blind aren’t funny. Still, as I waited at DIA last week for a flight to Austin and South by Southwest, I couldn’t help but snort at one overheard comment. After handing him his boarding pass, a woman…
Sam Baron fits the profile of a quintessential Gemini. Dualistic nature? Check. Contradictory? Yep. Complex? Definitely. Exuding confidence often to the point of arrogance, the MC, who answers to the name Mane Rok and is also one-third of the hip-hop trio Maneline, carries himself with an unwavering bravado that’s earned…
Despite his youthful appearance, Carrick Moore Gerety has been doing this indie-pop thing for longer than some of his fans have been alive. Most notably, Moore Gerety and his brother, Finn, co-captained the Push Kings — the Harvard-hatched boy band of the international pop underground that achieved stardom in Japan…
Country Ghetto, JJ Grey & MOFRO’s latest effort, is like a musical postcard from the South. On the front is a collage of pictures — Otis Redding, the Meters, Dr. John, Muddy Waters — and on the flip side, Grey’s spinning yarns about his life, his family, his worldview and…
Our music’s not guarded,” notes David Obuchowski, guitarist and vocalist for Brooklyn’s Goes Cube. “We’re not into irony; we’re not into being that subtle. When we get up on stage or we record a song, we have no problem saying ‘We love this,’ and we have no problem putting it…
The multi-ethnic, multi-disciplinary L.A.-based tribe known as Ozomatli made its name by cutting up salsa, hip-hop, traditional Mexican music, funk, jazz and more into barn-burning, irresistible party music. Unfortunately, this followup tries too hard to capitalize on the group’s Grammy-winning success by aiming straight for the multi-culti pop charts. While…
Definitive Jux founder Jaime Meline, who goes by El-P, has spent the millennium battering hip-hop’s boundaries, and on his first solo CD since 2002, he takes things well beyond his previous extremes. The results are intriguing but self-consciously arty, engaging the brain more often than they move the body. El-P…
Denver DIY queen Wendy Woo is hardworking and prolific; Luxury, whose release is being celebrated on Friday, March 23, at a Fox Theatre party opened by the Chris Webb Band, is Woo’s seventh CD since 1997. This time, however, the disc is credited to the Wendy Woo Trio as a…
There are half a million people in Denver, but it seems like there are only about twenty musicians to go around. The local scene is incredibly incestuous, with folks moonlighting in at least a couple of acts and the same names popping up again and again in new projects. Such…
