The modern tale of Washed Out’s fame isn’t an uncommon one: Musician makes bedroom tracks and nonchalantly posts them online, blog world picks up on the idea, and the rest is music-festival-circuit history. But when Washed Out (aka Ernest Greene) began creating his down-tempo, lo-fi synth brilliance within the confines…
Jeff Mangum grew up in Ruston, Louisiana, with Robert Schneider, Bill Doss and Will Cullen Hart. In 1991, the four friends founded the Elephant 6 Recording Company — here in Denver, actually. The collective was influential because of its core bands: the Apples in Stereo, Olivia Tremor Control and Mangum’s…
Brian Williams started Lustmord in the early ’80s, when he became involved in the world of music that included avant-garde luminaries like Throbbing Gristle, Clock DVA, Coil and SPK, which he ultimately joined. In June 2006, Williams broke a 25-year streak of no live Lustmord shows when he was convinced…
There’s no shortage of dreamy, washed-out vibes in indie music these days, but Real Estate — which hails from the not-so-sunny suburb of Ridgewood, New Jersey — is doling out reverb rock with the best of them. The quartet’s sophomore album, Days, glides listlessly through its ten tracks, recalling the…
On the wall in my house, right next to the desk where I work, hangs a framed vinyl copy of the 1978 Ted Nugent butt-rocker Weekend Warriors. Not because the record itself is any good (it’s not), but because of the cover art: a realist portrait of a shirtless, bell-bottomed…
Benny Loco’s latest effort is a standout in the crowded field of contemporary electronic music. The six-track EP features the title track — a new tune — alongside remixes of five songs from the Boulder-based producer’s Set EP, released last November. On “Lines,” bright analog tones coast over the top…
Ants are not glamorous animals, and neither are the five brothers and cousins in their namesake Denver band. On record, the guys function like a small, sloppy, rowdy and hungry colony of aggressively nostalgic former Warped Tour moshers. With discordant shouts and dramatically orchestral riffs layered over every track in…
“Robot Haikus of Despair and Self Loathing” shows Lexigram — the act previously known as Yerkish — stretching out a bit, with more attention given to space within the song, especially in the middle, where Tim Kaminski’s voice spirals off into a tasteful sustain, more operatic than indulgent, before the…
On Death by Ego, Dyalekt shows not only that he has a keen ear for beats (he produced most of the tracks himself), but also that he has a suitable flow for each sound. On the Davey Boy-produced “Alright,” the Diamond Boiz MC gives himself a little room to explore his…
Since its inception, Carbon Choir has explored many styles of music — all very different from the teenage punk rock of Petrol Apathy, an outfit in which some of the members used to play. Frontman Joel Van Horne left that band in 1999 because he felt like he wanted more…
What does Communikey have in store for lucky festival-goers this year? Plenty, and one of the most intriguing options is Lulacruza, a duo that fuses Latin melodies with funky electronic drumbeats, soaring female vocals and elaborate guitar lines. Alejandra Ortiz hails from Colombia and provides vocals as well as sounds…
See Also: • Twenty most gnarly metal shirts we saw last night • (Photos) Opeth at the Ogden Theatre, 10/11 • Q&A with Bill Kelliher of Mastodon • (Review) Mastodon at Ogden Theatre, 11/9/11 • (Review) Ghost at Marquis Theater, 1/27/12 The Mastodon, Opeth and Ghost tour may be the…
See Also: • (Photos) Mastodon, Opeth and Ghost at the Fillmore Auditorium, 4/23/12 • Q&A with Bill Kelliher of Mastodon • Now, that’s what you call a metal shirt. Nice work, Havok • The Tom Petty shirts we spotted last night in the parking lot • How old is your…
See Also: Best of Denver 2008 – Best Club Comeback After a five-year run as Sutra, the space at 1109 Lincoln Street, once known as the Donkey Den, is closed for remodeling. If you’ve driven by, you’ve probably noticed that the place has received a fresh new coat of black…
See Also: Tupac hologram at Coachella: Here’s how it was done Okay, so now we have it straight from the doctor’s mouth: Contrary to an item in the Wall Street Journal last week citing “a person familiar with the discussions” claiming that representatives of Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg were…
See Also: • Best of Coachella weekend one • Ten awkward Coachella dance moves weekend one • Ten awkward Coachella dance moves weekend two • Tupac hologram at Coachella: Here’s how it was done • Complete Coachella coverage The first weekend of Coachella was cold, damp and wet. The second…
See also: • Ten awkward dance moves weekend one • Complete Coachella coverage We were strolling through the Coachella grounds last weekend trying not to trip over passed out people when we encountered this fella. We weren’t sure if it was the headdress, the dance moves, or the combination of…
See Also: • (Review) Mastodon at Ogden Theatre, 11/9/11 • (Photos) Mastodon at Red Rocks, 10/4/10 • (Review) Mastodon at Fox Theatre, 4/14/09 Mastodon (due tonight at the Fillmore Auditorium) formed in 2000 after meeting at a High on Fire show — at least that’s the myth, and it suits…
PIERCED ARROWS @ HI-DIVE | 4/21/12 As the last notes of “The Wait” ended, they blended into the Toody Cole’s familiar bass pulse that introduced Pierced Arrows’ epic, and much beloved, “Paranoia.” Fred Cole tapped the Bigsby on his Guild Polara to modulate the feedback before heading into one of…
See Also: • A comprehensive guide to Record Store Day 2012 activities • In honor of Record Store Day this Saturday: Ten records we treasure. • Wax Trax celebrating 33 1/3 birthday in April Like Rob Flemmng’s Championship Vinyl in the book High Fidelity, it was “mostly young men.” But…
Meranda CarterOver the past 30 years, alternative Britpop rockers James have been one of the most underrated bands to come from Manchester. Having toured across the globe and played some of the biggest festivals in the world, frontman Tim Booth knows a thing or two about what makes a show…
Update: YouTube video of Wyclef Jean’s freestyle added below (“For the record,” he sings, “I would never sell out,” presumably in response to the anti-MJ clause of the contract), along with video from the Denver Post of Jean’s brother surrounded by students and smoking up in an effort to get…
