The Flaming Lips. Red Rocks. 05.26.16 The Flaming Lips are never one to skimp on production. In 2002, “The Unlimited Sunshine Tour” contained foam guns, giant bubble screens, and Yoshimi battling those pesky pink robots. In 2009, it was hard for the natural beauty of Red Rocks to compete with the barrage of technological eye candy thrown at an unsuspecting… Read more →
Future Islands. Red Rocks. 07.16.15 “We’re Future Islands man, this is just what the fuck we do!” Truer words have never been spoken from the stage at Red Rocks. Sam Herring wore a joker’s grin as he addressed the growing crowd. Every drop of sweat that hit the stage threatened to combust as the man with endless dance moves marked… Read more →
Death Grips. Ogden Theatre. 06.24.15 “I’ve got the powers that B, running through me!” A shirtless MC Ride was marking his territory on the large, spacious stage in front of a violently enthusiastic audience. Zach Hill, also shirtless, was doing his best Animal impression behind the drum kit. Andy Morin (aka Flatlander) was stoically standing behind his station, while his… Read more →
Ariel Pink. Bluebird Theater. 02.14.15 According to the Interweb, Ariel Pink is indie rock’s most hated man. He is a misogynistic troll who defends the rights of sexual predators and has the nerve to criticize Madonna. He is a living, breathing meme. He claims to be the male version of Grimes, but the female version of Grimes thinks he’s an… Read more →
2014 was a very good year in music. I wouldn’t say it was great, but it was very good. There were only a few perfect albums, but there were countless attempts that came close to hitting the mark. It was the year of introspection. It was the year of the singer-songwriter. It was the year of stories (as is evident from my… Read more →
As with the past few years, the image above is slightly deceiving. It is not a true representation of my favorite metal albums of 2014. What it does represent is another impressive run by Profound Lore Records — the one man operation from Canada that continues to ship outstanding releases year-round. I didn’t think I’d have much to say when… Read more →
When Sam Herring spoke of breaking the artifice last night, before closing the set out with “Little Dreamer”, I couldn’t help but wonder what he meant. Everything about Future Islands is honest. Their songs and stage presence are pure life. There is something primal about what they do – something essential. Everything about the band, and the face that represents… Read more →
2013 was a great year in music. I’d argue it was among the best in the past 10 years. The diversity among the overachievers was remarkable. Representative artists from hip-hop, pop, rock, metal, hardcore and electronic music all brought their best to the table, but it was those albums that obliterated genre definitions that really stood out. Those undefinable sounds… Read more →
I’m not going to claim to be a genius, or to have a familiar relationship with Jesus, but I think I may have a touch of something — a gift of some kind. How else would you explain my prediction, weeks before the damaged LED screen, that the “Yeezus Tour” would not be making a stop in Denver? Sure, the Pepsi Center… Read more →
We were on our way to the mountains for the weekend when I was first exposed to Sleigh Bells. I had downloaded a bunch of blogged-about tracks that week and hadn’t had a chance to listen to them, so I threw them on a playlist for the drive to Summit County. Everything was going smooth until a track called “Crown… Read more →
Some friends of mine were lucky enough to witness Sigur Rós perform in Iceland last year and I’ve been meaning to ask them if the locals were singing along. Granted, some of the lyrics are sung in Jónsi’s own Hopelandic tongue, but I’m almost positive that the majority of sounds escaping his mouth are truly Icealandic. And I have to wonder whether any… Read more →
