Music

Reveling in the man-child simpleness of Lady Hawk (photos by Jim Narcy). Constantines, Ladyhawk, d.biddle Tuesday, July 8, 2008 Hi-Dive Better than: The Springsteen box set. So sometimes a guy is just wrong. No excuses. No buts. The guy is just wrong. I am that guy right now. This very…

Animo just got a nice little bump on RollingStone.com about it’s, ahem, swelling buzz on this year’s Warped Tour. Evidently, the band is turning heads a plenty. About damn time. God knows the act, formerly known as Dork, has certainly paid its dues. If we’re not mistaken, this summer marks…

Littles Paia delivering his distorted, pastoral, garage folk. (Photos by Tom Murphy). Littles Paia, Slight Harp, Bird Names, Sic Alps and Milton Melvin Croissant III Monday, July 7, 2008 Glob Glob Glob, Denver Better Than: Watching TV or staying home on a Monday night. The cool evening air was welcome…

Inhale Exhale I Swear Tooth & Nail 02:00-02:45 of “It’s Myself vs. Being a Man”: Back in the early part of the century, there was an a cappella hardcore band called Jud Jud. They just went, “jud jud, jud jud, dun dun dun, jud jud.” I think they were more…

The Inactivists absurdity is equaled only by its musicianship. (photos by Tom Murphy). Mustangs and Madras, Action Friend and the Inactivists Saturday, July 5, 2008 The Falcon Better Than: Most shows that have the nerve to call themselves “punk rock.” The Inactivists were already playing by the time I made…

It wasn’t a big damn crowd, but Reverend Peyton played like it was (photos by Jon Solomon). The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band Friday, July 4, 2008 Fox Theatre Better than: Fireworks and barbecues. The Reverend Peyton knew it was going to be tough when he agreed to play a…

The aptly named Hot White lived up to its name. (photos by Tom Murphy). The Mae Shi, Religious Girls, CJ Boyd and Hot White Friday, July 4, 2008 Rhinoceropolis Better Than: The relatively tepid fireworks show at Coors Field. Hot White is a relatively new band who has only pretty…

Good Housekeeping was a little stiff. (photos by Tom Murphy). Good Housekeeping, Hawks of Paradise, Joshua Novak and Monofog Thursday, July 3, 2008 Larimer Lounge Better Than: A line-up where all the bands are pretty much the same. Good Housekeeping opened the proceedings with a cover of “Pink Room” by…

You can plan it on your calendar. Every year on the 4th of July John Popper and his Blues Traveler mates stop by Red Rocks. Here’s what the show looked like through the lens of Soren McCarty…

After the Denver stop of the Warped Tour, Jeffree Star, in all his electric pink maned goodness, Travis McCoy from Gym Class Heroes, who killed it on the ones and twos, and a bunch of other acts stopped by the Marquis Theater, where they got it on and on until…

I had a high-school Spanish teacher who was Yosemite Sam personified. Seriously, I was convinced the guy modeled his mustache after the cartoon character. And that mustache could be quite frightening at times, especially after I’d pulled a Jeff Spicoli (you know, Sean Penn’s stoner in Fast Times at Ridgemont…

With a name borrowed from the journal of wholesome living habits and literary good taste, Good Housekeeping plays music that is both good and good for you. Displaying an adventurous use of layered atmospheres and breezy, ethereal melodies, this Boulder outfit’s sound mates kraut-rock drone with the loungey pop pioneered…

DJs Dragon and Trajikk, two of the most recognizable names on the local scene, are teaming up to celebrate the release of their new mix CD, NRG Session v1.0, on Thursday, July 3, at Beta. The release – and the tag-team set they’ll be playing that night – will feature…

Grand Magus, Iron Will (Rise Above). Janne “JB” Christoffersson and the rest of these Swedish slayers don’t just embrace the rudiments of vintage European metal. They pump them up to gargantuan proportions, wedge them into the sonic equivalent of a bulging codpiece and start thrusting. The compendium of Valkyrie vocals,…

When the members of Three 6 Mafia won a 2006 Best Song Oscar for “It’s Hard Out Here for a Pimp,” from Hustle & Flow, they reacted with so much exuberance that they made Cuba Gooding Jr.’s Jerry Maguire acceptance speech seem restrained by comparison – and even though the…

The Still City’s emo-inflected rock has taken a giant leap forward. On Light and the Machines, Ryan Murphy’s synth lines are front and center next to Brendan Gann’s percussive bass lines, adding a slight new-wave edge to the songs, while Brandon Roth’s supernaturally kinetic drumming roughens the edges and keeps…

Making commercial music that doesn’t seem crass or cheeseball is among the more difficult tricks for any band to turn – and overall, the Last Seen succeeds at doing so. Of the four songs on this new EP, three hit the sweet spot: “Don’t Say,” a driving rouser with two…

At least on Usher’s last album, Confessions, he was being honest. He was essentially admitting to being a cheating scumbag, and that’s what made it interesting. But his followup, Here I Stand, finds him a married father, and he admits to little more than cyber-cruising. “I’m chatting, this ain’t cheating,…

Twista may be the biggest name on Mobstability II: Nation Bizness, but he’s not officially in charge. Instead, he’s presenting the disc on behalf of Chicago’s Speedknot Mobstaz, with whom he teamed on the first Mobstability, issued ten years ago. Since then, Mobstaz Lefty Stokes and Mayz have bided their…

As a composer of lush, ambient soundscapes in the vein of mid-era Tangerine Dream and the later recordings of Slowdive, German-born composer Ulrich Schnauss has made quite a name for himself in the international dream-pop underground. In addition to playing keyboards in Long-view, Schnauss has collaborated with Robin Guthrie of…