TITWRENCH 2013 at GLOB | 9/6/13 As if embodying a bit of the spirit of the event, Dangerous Nonsense donned costumes that evoked Russian punk band Pussy Riot. And like the latter, the former outfit performs with an intensity that elevates what some might see as pure theatrics. But then…

DEERHUNTER at BLUEBIRD THEATER | 9/7/13 The other members of Deerhunter were set up ready to go when Bradford Cox made his way on stage clad in some kind of vest with a lot of buttons and/or patches. He was also wearing a Cramps T-shirt, and that was fitting because…

THE HOWLING HEX @ HI-DIVE | 9/5/13 Neil Michael Hagerty didn’t do too much physical emoting last night at the hi-dive, nor did the rest of the Howling Hex. But Hagerty projected his voice evocatively in an almost cartoonish fashion that matched his unusual guitar tones. Maybe he just EQ’d…

On Skeleton’s title track, Red Fox Run’s songwriting shows considerable growth, displaying a flair for dynamics and bombast and resulting in the kind of power pop made by acts like the Sweet. “Lucky Sevens,” meanwhile, is imbued with jittery energy, sounding like the work of a latter-day post-punk band with…

From his time in the groundbreaking mutant garage-punk band Pussy Galore in the late ’80s to his long-running stint with outlaw experimentalists Royal Trux, Neil Michael Hagerty has long been a pioneering musician in the world of guitar rock. Ever since Trux split in the early part of the last…

GOLDRUSH MUSIC FESTIVAL @ SIDEWINDER & CRASH 45 | 9/27-9/28 In its third year, Goldrush Music Festival will again feature some of the most intriguing experimental artists in the world of underground music today, including Noveller, led by Sarah Lipstate, who as a member of Parts & Labor helped usher…

RIOT FEST @ MAY FARMS | SAT & SUN, 9/21-9/22 When your band can be said to be a direct and obvious influence on the Ramones, the Sex Pistols and countless punk bands since, it’s fair to say you’ve made an impact on punk rock. But the Stooges didn’t look…

NO AGE @ GLOB | 8/28/13 When No Age kicked into “Fever Dreaming,” during a show that had already maintained a hyperkinetic momentum from jump, the title of the song was such a metaphor for the entire performance that you had to wonder if its placement was intentional. The song…

The vocals on Monday Surgeons’ Spirited Awasteland // Desperate Living are so blurred by delay that they almost resemble a repeating phantasm accompanied by spectral keyboards. The first side of this release sounds like someone took an old electronic score for a dystopian science-fiction film, put it to tape, left…

Since releasing its debut seven-inch in August 2012, the Blue Rider has not refined its sound so much as honed its edge a bit. A chaotic energy marked its earliest efforts; the band has since found a way to maintain that level of excitement while channeling its vigor more directly…

BRONCHO @ LARIMER LOUNGE | 8/27/13 Broncho hit the stage last night like a great, long lost band from several eras. With its catchy melodies, and its infectious exuberance and aggression, Broncho recalled the Buzzcocks by way of the Stooges, except the guitar sweep and atmospherics were more like some…

THE OUTFIT @ LARIMER LOUNGE | 8/24/13 The Outfit saved one of its best songs for late in the set, and the sparkling urgency at the beginning of “What Happened To You?” perfectly framed the song’s poignant lyrics, which were inspired by a chance encounter Eric Johnston had at a…

BARONESS @ BLUEBIRD THEATER | 8/21/13 After the year Baroness had, it was obvious the quartet was happy to out playing again, and the crowd at the Bluebird last night was likewise amped to see the band. This was displayed none more powerfully and vividly than during the performance of…

Isaiah “Ikey” Owens has left his mark on more than his fair share of Colorado music in the past few years. The eight tracks on True Aristocrats’ Mary Amygdala bear the hallmarks of his production, including adventurous jazz structures and psychedelically tinged keyboard work. And although the band’s Tyler Lindren…

Back Seats is a major leap forward for Bad Weather California, in terms of both music and songwriting. Chris Adolf has never sounded more confident or as much in his element as he does here, where the angst and emotional turmoil of the past is not as obvious as it…

It’s been roughly two years since the Outfit last put out an album. During that time, the band’s current members — singer/guitarist Eric Johnston, bassist Mike King, drummer RJ Powers and lead guitarist Mikael Kilates — have been developing their sound, going from its earlier, highly promising indie pop to…

MY BLOODY VALENTINE @ OGDEN THEATER | 8/19/13 My Bloody Valentine’s show last night at the Ogden Theatre may not have felt as blisteringly loud as its show at the Fillmore a few years ago, but the band didn’t exactly skimp on the volume either this time out. Between the…

FIVE IRON FRENZY @ OGDEN THEATRE | 8/17/13 There were several moments during Five Iron’s set that nodded to the hometown crowd, and all of them were dependably absurd thanks to frontman Reese Roper. “The Broncos are losing forty to seven,” Roper informed us. “I’ve never been more proud to…