Justin Furstenfeld, the frontman for Texas rockers Blue October, has turned a corner, both musically and in his personal life. His band’s new album, Sway, is a far cry from 2011’s angst-ridden Any Man in America, which was written while the 37-year-old singer was going through a divorce and a…
The debut album from Saskatoon, which features Paul DeHaven (Paper Bird, Eye and the Arrow) and Jess Webb, has an almost utilitarian quality — and that’s not a bad thing. The tranquil sentimentality and subtle psychedelia of these stretched-out instrumentals would be a nice accompaniment to a languid yoga session…
There’s a bit of stylistic time travel happening on Rock and Roll, Space in Time’s newest release. The keyboards and guitar, for instance, play off one another in a clear nod to the likes of Captain Beyond and Uriah Heep. But instead of merely mining the usual classic-hard-rock territory, these…
On the title track of the Patti Fiasco’s Small Town Lights, which also serves as the album’s opener, the Fort Collins-based quintet starts off fairly tame, with strumming acoustic guitars and a slide resonator guitar that sounds almost like a pedal steel. It’s a bit twangy at first, but in…
For WHITENOISE, his newest release, Sole takes a surprising turn away from his usual far-left political-theory rhymes and gangster-chic production, offering instead a lo-fi, left-field, all-instrumental album. No longer spitting about Paris communes or the prison-industrial complex, he nonetheless gets his point across through overlaid vocal samples and song titles…
FRI | LOTUS at RED ROCKS | 10/4/13 The jazzy electronic quintet Lotus, known for its precisely timed improvisations during live shows, is celebrating its fourteenth year as a group. From incorporating video-game music to performing David Bowie tribute shows and playing Black Sabbath covers, Lotus has figured out how…
DUSTIN WONG & TAKAO MINEKAWA at RHINOCEROPOLIS | 10/23/13 Dustin Wong first gained notice as a member of Baltimore’s passionately exuberant post-punk band Ponytail. In that outfit, Wong’s guitar work gave the band a wiry sonic detail that made its songs even more exciting. When Ponytail split in 2011, Wong…
The members of the Coathangers — an act that emerged from the same Atlanta underground scene in 2007 that had previously produced bands like Black Lips, Deerhunter and King Khan and the Shrines — started playing out before really even learning to play their instruments. In true punk-rock style, the…
Music is life — or at least it is for us. When we’re not writing about it, we’re thinking about it, talking about it or listening to it. These are the things that were in heavy rotation for us this week. What are you listening to? What should we be…
It’s always a thrilling for artists to see themselves written up in the pages of a magazine, even more so if that publication happens to be national. Needless to say, DJ Cavem is totally hyped right now. The MC and Westword MasterMind recipient is featured prominently in the October issue…
A few years after being formed by Rozz Williams in 1979, Christian Death released Only Theater of Pain, an album that’s considered to be a classic of both death rock and post-punk. With its dark lyrics and themes, the group embodies the aesthetic and sound of gothic rock better than…
Flobots are set to ring in the New Year this year at the Marquis Theater. Tickets ($28-$32) for the show go on sale this Friday, October 4, at 10 a.m. Keep reading to see what other shows are on sale this week, what songs are being played on local radio,…
TUES | FLATBUSH ZOMBIES at CERVANTES’ OTHER SIDE | 10/22/13 As if torn out of the pages of a graphic novel, Flatbush Zombies are intense and ultra-stylized to an extent that is at once cartoonish and darkly gritty. Sometimes, in the case of very exciting music such as theirs, substance…
SUN | DEICIDE at GOTHIC THEATER | 10/13/13 While many metal bands flirt with concepts and perceived aesthetics of Satanism, Deicide has championed a very anti-Christian stance. Deicide, formed in Tampa in 1987, has long been one of the pillars of death metal since releasing its self-titled 1990 debut album…
SUN | GUITAR WOLF at MARQUIS THEATER | 10/6/13 Founded in the Harajuku district of Tokyo in 1987, Guitar Wolf was inspired in part by guitarist Seiji’s encounter with Link Wray’s monumental classic, “Rumble.” Hashing together bits of old time rock and roll with punk, garage rock and noise, Guitar…
Kneebody has had many labels thrown at it, but none seem to fit. Just the same, the members of the transcontinental quintet (saxophonist Ben Wendel, keyboardist Adam Benjamin, drummer Nate Wood and Denver natives, trumpeter Shane Endsley and bassist Kaveh Rastegar) haven’t exactly gone out of their way to make…
SAT | DENVER JAZZFEST at NATIONAL WESTERN | 10/5/13 The inaugural Denver Jazz Fest includes contemporary jazz stars like keyboardist Brian Culbertson, Hiroshima, who formed almost three decades ago, Horns of Plenty (featuring saxophonist Darren Rahn and flutist Althea Rene) as well as R&B singer Kenny Lattimore and the legendary…
PETER HOOK & THE LIGHT @ GOTHIC THEATRE | 9/28/12 Peter Hook’s 33-song set at the Gothic was split into three distinct sections representing three periods of his early career as a musician. The first set was comprised of Joy Division songs and not really everything expected. Beginning with the…
FRI | LOTUS at RED ROCKS | 10/4/13 The jazzy electronic quintet Lotus, known for its precisely timed improvisations during live shows, is celebrating its fourteenth year together. From incorporating video-game music to performing David Bowie tribute shows and playing Black Sabbath covers, Lotus has figured out how to evolve…
The Goldrush Music Festival is going down this weekend at the Sidewinder and Crash 45. The festival, now in its third year, features an array of renown acts from the experimental music world, including Rene Hell, Scammers, MV&EE, Caddywhompus and Noveller, among others. Aside from its innovative music programming, there’s…
Noveller is the solo project of Sarah Lipstate, who had previously been in an experimental rock band from Austin called One Umbrella before she moved to Brooklyn to pursue music more fully. Upon moving to New York, she ended up joining Parts & Labor and played on that outfit’s critically…
FRI & SAT | BIG GIGANTIC at FILLMORE / RED ROCKS | 9/27-9/28 When Big Gigantic played Red Rocks last year, the feeling of hometown pride was unmistakable. As the act went into “Colorado Mountain High,” a giant projection of the state flag draped the rocks, and the crowd went…
