Last night’s review is now up at the Westword. We sold that place out, well done, everyone!
My Westword Review for Dick’s Night Two
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Category Archives: Music
My review of Phish Dick’s Night One for the Westword
I was honored to be asked to review this weekend’s Phish shows at Dick’s by the fantastic Denver paper the Westword. The review went live, read it here: Westword review of Phish at Dick’s
Crocodiles – “Crimes of Passion” – ALBUM REVIEW
Crocodiles are great at mixing the beauty of simple pop melodies with the chaos of distortion and fuzz without the music even missing a beat, and their latest release “Crimes of Passion” is even more than I hoped for. “I Like it in the Dark” immediately makes the album takeoff, a funky piano line dropping down into the verse while a tambourine frantically keeps the beat until a ripping guitar solo takes over. Everything is well thought out here and flows perfectly, the whole album is a perfect package. Crocodiles are a well edited garage band, all fat is trimmed and they can really just fall right into a chaotic freakout and pull it right back into the melody like it’s nothing.
Their San Diego roots are very evident, especially in songs like “Teardrop Guitar”, filled with melodic California sounding jangly guitar riffs and dreamy, layered vocals. “Cockroach” brings even more organ to the front, really giving the song that great swirling sound I love in psych music. This album is short and sweet, when I got to the end I was actually surprised it was already over, and already yearning their next album. This band has been steadily gaining steam over the years with consistently great recordings, and I think this album might just put them over the top. Thank you, Crocodiles!
Listen to “Teardrop Guitar” here: “Teardrop Guitar” soundcloud
Said the Whale – PHOTOS – Larimer Lounge
Finally got to see Said the Whale last night, and they surpassed my pretty high expectations. The success of their single “I Love You” brought quite a few teenagers and every pretty young lawyer that lived in the area. While their latest album has a very polished sound, their live show is much more raw, intricate and careful sounds coming from everyone, often leading up to moments of distortion and reverb that I didn’t expect from them. I don’t get a chance to shoot females often, but when I do, I shoot their shoes. They are currently on tour with Kopecky Family Band, go see them if you like sweet pop rock that gets a little chaotic.
Neko Case new release now streaming at NPR
Neko Case has a gorgeously haunting voice that matches her looks, and her new unreleased album “The Worse Things Get, The Harder I Fight” shows that voice off so well. It’s streaming today over at NPR, prepare yourself for beauty: Neko Case First Listen
Cold War Kids – PHOTOS – Cultivate Fest
Cultivate Fest by Chipotle in City Park proved to be wildly successful once again. The production coordinators really have the free festival logistics down, easy to get up close to the stage, tons of food options, celebrity chef tents, and you could bring your dog. Cold War Kids put on a note perfect set, mixing the setlist with old hits like “Hang Me Up to Dry” and new material from their latest release. The last few times I’ve seen them have been little SXSW shows, kind of forgot they are really, really popular, everyone knew every word. Expect to see more of Cultivate Fest here in the future, looks like a keeper.
Robert Walter’s 20th Congress – PHOTOS – Cervantes Otherside
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Don’t miss Robert Walter’s 20th Congress Tonight at Cervantes!
Robert Walter’s 20th Congress is blowing their way through Colorado with a stop in Denver tonight at Cervantes. This Greyboy Allstars player is so talented, heavy funk just doppling out of the Leslie as it whirls around faster and faster. They are playing The Otherside, so get there a little early, it will probably sell out.
Superhuman Happiness – Band to Watch
Their last release “Hands” by Superhuman Happiness starts with what else – hands. “Our Favorite Part” begins with syncopated layers of handclaps, and by the time the vocals come in, the party has started. These guys made a name for themselves playing energetic Brooklyn dance parties, and the vibe is still the same, just on a more grand scale now. They grew a reputation touring with Rubblebucket and Marco Benevento, signed with The Royal Potato Family, and now we have a full length release that’s built up steam for a few months and are about ready to pop.
I have really been anticipating this album since I was told each song segues into each other on the album. The Phish fan in me is always yearning for that seamless transition between songs (pronounced “seegs” by the guys in the poster line in Tahoe), and you do indeed get nonstop music. This album should be in every party host’s catalog, it does the DJ work for you. The handclaps continue through the whole album, and I think they are particularly fitting in the breakdown of “I Can Hear You Calling”. As the theme is repeated and slowly deconstructed, that clapping provides a perfect backbone for any chances the musicians want to take.
“Sentimental Pieces” is a slinky cool groove with vocals that sound a little Eels-like, and “Second Heart” brings the horns and harder dance beats. Once again, syncopated handclaps lead in for “Elevator Elation”, a building, driving song with horns going up in half steps, pushing you further into the ascension. By the time the peak is reached, I’m dancing in my living room, impossible to sit still. As a fan of extended instrumentals, I hope this gets some radio play, it’s definitely the highlight of the album for me. The album ends with “Second Heart Reprise”, a lovely coda that gives the whole album a nice cohesion.
Keep your eyes on these guys, with members from Antibalas, TV on the Radio and tUnE-yArDs making smart pop that at moments sounds like it was written by David Byrne, it’s pretty hard to go wrong.
Listen to “Sentimental Pieces” radio edit here: Superhuman Happiness Soundcloud
Watch a video for “Elevator Elation” here: youtube video
Nirvana “In Utero” Reissue’s Massive Track List Revealed
This album is one of the top albums that have helped to define my musical tastes. Like every other red-blooded American 8th grader, I flipped out that first time I saw “Smells Like Teen Spirit” on MTV, which lead to near obsession, writing to Sub Pop Records and hunting down B Sides at Sound Exchange (R.I.P.) and hating Pearl Jam because I thought you could pick only one. In Utero was by far the most repeated album of theirs in my life, and this morning my stomach got butterflies when I saw the track listing released for the 20th anniversary reissue being released on September 24th. The Pier 48 show is on here! I’ll let it speak for itself:
CD ONE – Original album remastered plus all B-sides & bonus tracks recorded at Pachyderm
1. “Serve The Servants” (Albini mix/original release) – 3:39
2. “Scentless Apprentice” (Albini mix/original release) – 3:47
3. “Heart-Shaped Box” (Litt mix/original release) – 4:41
4. “Rape Me” (Albini mix/original release) – 2:51
5. “Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge On Seattle” (Albini mix/original release) – 4:09
6. “Dumb” (Albini mix/original release) – 2:32
7. “Very Ape” (Albini mix/original release) – 1:55
8. “Milk It” (Albini mix/original release) – 3:54
9. “Pennyroyal Tea” (Albini mix/original release) – 3:37
10. “Radio Friendly Unit Shifter” (Albini mix/original release) – 4:51
11. “tourette’s” (Albini mix/original release) – 1:35
12. “All Apologies” (Litt mix/original release) – 3:55
13. “Gallons Of Rubbing Alcohol Flow Through The Strip” (ex-U.S. bonus track) – 7:35
14. “Marigold” (B-side; “Heart Shaped Box) – 2:34
15. “Moist Vagina” (B-side; “All Apologies”) – 3:33
16. “Sappy” – 3:28
17. “I Hate Myself And Want To Die” – 2:59
18. “Pennyroyal Tea” (Litt mix) – 3:36
19. “Heart-Shaped Box” (Albini mix/unreleased) – 4:42
20. “All Apologies” (Albini mix/unreleased) – 3:58
CD TWO – 2013 album mix plus pre-album demos
1. “Serve The Servants” (2013 mix) – 3:36
2. “Scentless Apprentice” (2013 mix) – 3:49
3. “Heart-Shaped Box” (2013 mix) – 4:41
4. “Rape Me” (2013 mix) – 2:49
5. “Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge On Seattle” (2013 mix) – 4:12
6. “Dumb” (2013 mix) – 2:32
7. “Very Ape” (2013 mix) – 1:57
8. “Milk It” (2013 mix) – 3:56
9. “Pennyroyal Tea” (2013 mix) – 3:32
10. “Radio Friendly Unit Shifter” (2013 mix) – 4:51
11. “tourette’s” (2013 mix) – 1:35
12. “All Apologies (2013 mix) – 3:55
13. “Scentless Apprentice” (Rio demo) – 3:54
14. “Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge On Seattle” (Laundry Room demo) – 4:33
15. “Dumb” (Word Of Mouth demo) – 2:39
16. “Very Ape” (Rio demo) — 2:21
17. “Pennyroyal Tea” (Word Of Mouth demo) – 3:31
18. “Radio Friendly Unit Shifter” (Word Of Mouth demo) – 2:40
19. “tourette’s” (Word Of Mouth demo) – 2:14
20. “Marigold” (Upland Studios demo) – 3:25
21. “All Apologies” (Music Source demo) – 4:25
22. “Forgotten Tune” (Rehearsal) – 2:04
23. “Jam” (Word Of Mouth demo) – 5:44
CD THREE – Live & Loud: Live at Pier 48, Seattle, WA – 12/13/93
1. “Radio Friendly Unit Shifter”
2. “Drain You”
3. “Breed”
4. “Serve The Servants”
5. “Rape Me”
6. “Sliver”
7. “Pennyroyal Tea”
8. “Scentless Apprentice”
9. “All Apologies”
10. “Heart-Shaped Box”
11. “Blew”
12. “The Man Who Sold The World”
13. “School”
14. “Come As You Are”
15. “Lithium”
16. “About a Girl”
17. “Endless, Nameless”
DVD – Live & Loud: Live at Pier 48, Seattle, WA – 12/13/93
1. “Radio Friendly Unit Shifter”
2. “Drain You”
3. “Breed”
4. “Serve The Servants”
5. “Rape Me”
6. “Sliver”
7. “Pennyroyal Tea”
8. “Scentless Apprentice”
9. “All Apologies”
10. “Heart-Shaped Box”
11. “Blew”
12. “The Man Who Sold The World”
13. “School”
14. “Come As You Are”
15. “Lithium”
16. “About a Girl”
17. “Endless, Nameless”
EXTRAS:
18. “Very Ape” (Live & Loud Rehearsal)
19. “Radio Friendly Unit Shifter” (Live & Loud Rehearsal)
20. “Rape Me” (Live & Loud Rehearsal)
21. “Pennyroyal Tea” (Live & Loud Rehearsal)
22. “Heart-Shaped Box” (Original Music Video + Director’s Cut)
23. “Rape Me” (Live on “Nulle Part Ailleurs” – Paris, France)
24. “Pennyroyal Tea” (Live on “Nulle Part Ailleurs” – Paris, France)
25. “Drain You” (Live on “Nulle Part Ailleurs” – Paris, France)
26. “Serve The Servants” (Live on “Tunnel” – Rome, Italy)
27. “Radio Friendly Unit Shifter” (Live in Munich, Germany)
28. “My Best Friend’s Girl” (Live in Munich, Germany)
29. “Drain You” (Live in Munich, Germany)
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