Music

What we’ve found is that most people hate the name,” says Joy Subtraction’s singer and guitarist, Abe Brennan of his band’s humorous moniker, adding, “but we hate most people, so it ends up working out.” “We had a huge argument what to call the band,” interjects drummer Brian Polk. “I…

Angry Hand of God (due at Bender’s Tavern on Friday, August 3) came together in 2006, when founding members Mark Pilloud and Pat Dixon met on StonerRock.com and started jamming. They eventually recruited Brian Kennedy and Garret McGaugh and starting playing out around Denver, sharing gigs with like-minded acts such…

Don’t let the name throw you: Although Michael Kiwanuka’s parents are from Uganda, he grew up in the north of London and didn’t parlay his folks’ background into a career in world music. Instead, he came up hearing various forms of music that inspired him, especially folk and soul. Kiwanuka’s…

Before tech-house seemingly became a synonym for trance, most artists who dabbled in the genre hoped they sounded at least something like James What (due at NORAD this Friday, August 3), a powerhouse who’s excelled at blending the mechanical, synthetic tones of techno with the sass and soul of upbeat…

Having formed in the late ’90s, Louisville, Kentucky’s My Morning Jacket has continued to evolve over the course of six studio albums. At the same time, the band has managed to hang on to that reverb-drenched magnetism that fueled its first two albums — 1999’s Tennessee Fire and 2001’s At…

The moniker of this Loveland-based act might be a reference to the character that John Lennon plays in the film How I Won the War, but the music of Musketeer Gripweed is far from sounding like the Beatles — or anything even remotely British, for that matter. Rather, the band…

“No Stairway,” the opening track to this mud-flecked album, sounds a bit like a crustified version of Void’s “My Rules.” Mike Reisinger’s barely discernible vocals are sharp and animalistic, Weston Wilson uses his guitar in slashing hardcore fashion while employing noise-rock textures, and Tiana Bernard’s bass guitar seems as though…

Mariposa returns with another release of miniature world songs, this time joining forces with Albuquerque’s Javelina for a split release. Mariposa’s (Madeline Johnston) spooky/sweet vocals — like a teenage elf with three-pack-a-day habit — and intimate fantasy hymns fit well next to the songs of Javelina, which are a little…

The production on this album is top notch, and it thoroughly complements the impressive, rapid-fire timing of Anxious’s flow. This promising MC spits at a fast pace, and the beats are indeed well-selected, but he often lacks lyrical versatility. As a result, thematically, the album tends to seem a little…

Before the booms of her massive hip-pop single “Super Bass,” released in May 2011, became the summer’s most infectious crossover hit, Nicki Minaj was known for her aggressive flow as a featured player on songs by Usher, Trey Songz and Ludacris. She also sang the chorus on the standout track…

You’re probably more familiar with Maybach Music Group signee Meek Mill than you think: His Dreamchasers series has generated some of the hottest radio joints in recent years and even resurrected an old-school rapper or two. The single “Tupac Back” catapulted Mill to high-powered fame, and he went on to…

An unlikely cult band, Cape Town, South Africa’s Die Antwoord makes the kind of music that brings EDM and hip-hop together with an aesthetic attributed to the zef subculture; frontman Ninja has discussed the role of zef in South African society as being akin to that of the pillars of…

This past weekend, we sent our roving photographer Christopher Morgan out on the town to capture snapshots of Denver’s vibrant nightlife scene. He headed down to South Broadway and brought us back a slew of photos from the most hopping joints in the Baker district. Page down to live vicariously…