C=T contributor, Lara Webb, took in the Drums and Part Time last week for her first concert review.

The Drums – Let’s Go Surfing (The Raveonettes Remix) by Clickmusic

“Many of the attendees of Thursday night’s Drums show most likely weren’t even a gleam in their mother’s eye during the 1980’s, but clearly have developed an appreciation and fondness for the music of that decade. The two opening bands, Part Time and Craft Spells, have perfected the wistful, synth-pop and jangly guitar sound of such bands as OMD and The Smiths, respectively. Both bands would be a perfect fit for heady summer evenings spent enjoying the pleasures of being young.

The Drums have also clearly been influenced by 80’s new wave, but are drawing from somewhat darker influences, such as Joy Division. This was evident in one of the first songs in their set, “Best Friend,” which singer Jonny Pierce prefaced by saying it was about his best friend who died. Despite the sad tone of the lyrics, the music itself had a syncopated, poppy sound that allowed Pierce to dance to it in a coy way, letting his sweater drop off one shoulder as he shimmied flirtatiously towards the crowd.

The band played a strong, energetic set that included a good mix of songs from both their 2010 self-titled debut album and 2011’s “Portamento.” They hit their stride midway through the show, as the opening notes of “Money” elicited screams from the crowd and began a full-on dance party.

Later, as they played “Book of Revelations”, the band made a convincing argument for music as a balm for all of the world’s problems; the lyrics “…and I believe that when we die, we die, so let me love you tonight…” heightened the bittersweet air of a swiftly fleeting youth that permeated many of the their songs.

Towards the end of their set, the band brought the tempo down with their song “Down By The Water”, which was played slower and slightly more eerie than the album version, as the bass guitar and synth lines became the focal points of the song, almost sounding similar to Gary Numan.

The Drums closed out their set on a high, upbeat note with the other big crowd favorite of the night “Let’s Go Surfing.” ”

Photo and word by Lara Webb

Thursday has always been my favorite night of the week to go out. Which is even more reason for you guys to check out the breezy poppy rockers, the Drums, at the Hi-Dive tomorrow night. The guys are pushing “Portamento” released last September so don’t miss out. You can purchase your tickets here if you haven’t done so and don’t forget your dancing shoes.

the Drums – I Need Fun In My Life [mp3]

the Drums – Money

Radio 1190 & Cause=Time Present:
the Drums
Craft Spells, Part Time
Thu, May 3, 2012
Doors: 7:00 pm / Show: 7:30 pm

M83 had never played a proper headlining show in Denver. That was until last night. M83 had opened up for the Killers at the Magness Arena, and many years of me pining for a proper show and my night finally came to fruition. No other way to paint this one, but a full on dance jam for 90 minutes. Unadulterated dance magic from “Teen Angst” to “Couleurs.” Anthony Gonzales has set up shop in LA and thus the dynamic of the band has changed by making the aesthetic more progressive or “jammy.” Morgan Kibby’s contributions are largely understated and overlooked at times. Her sultry vocals on “Skin of the Night” proved to be one of the many highlights of last night.

C=T had a chance to catch up with Swede act, I Break Horses, to see how the US soil was treating the traveling quartet.

How’s the US tour treating you guys right now?

“It’s been amazing from day one and we love touring here! Amazing venues and people.”

What sets you apart from other shoe-gaze acts?

“To start with I wouldn’t label the music as only shoe-gaze apart from that we perhaps stare at our shoes a bit too much on stage:) So I guess what sets IBH apart from other shoe-gaze acts are that we have other elements in the music as more electronic sounds and different beats etc.”

What’s the story with “I Kill Your Love, Baby?”

“Its a little love song for the lonely people that I wrote after listening to Spacemen 3 for a whole night getting inspired!”

Some people are aware your band name comes from a Smog tune. How do you like Bill Callahan’s solo material?

“What I have heard is really nice. Must check it out more.”

M83 ::: Couleurs ::: Ogden Theatre

I Break Horses

M83

The massive waves caused by Aussie and New Zealander respectively, Gotye and Kimbra, have already passed tsunami status at this point. I dare you to try and listen to FM radio and not hear both of them on “Somebody I Use to Know.” Our friend Sarah Quinlan fought her way through the throng of fans to give us her take on Friday night’s sold out Ogden Theatre show.

Word and photos by Sarah Quinlan

Gotye – Somebody That I Used to Know (Goodness Gracious Remix)
Kimbra – Cameo Lover (Shook Remix)

It’s very rare that an artist/group tours through Colorado that they hit Boulder, Denver and Ft. Collins. That type of aggressive touring is reserved for local acts trying to spread their good name across the ol’ home-state. That was not the case with Fun.this week. The success granted the NYC trio three sold-out nights and a packed in-store performance at one of the best music shops in the US of A, Twist and Shout. Word by JancCarlo Boyer and photos courtesy of Mark Mcgrath.

“The venue was the Ogden Theater and the word of the night was….wait for it….. FUN. The indie pop band out of New York stopped in by Denver while on their national tour and played to a sold out crowd. The night started with “Sleeper Agent” handling opening duties for the band. The Kentucky based act energized the crowd to the point where people were sweating from all the singing and jumping going on from everybody underneath the same roof. Once Fun. got their motors running, the vocals of lead singer Nate Ruess were nothing short than perfection. The energy that Ruess brought to the stage and gave to the crowd is akin to the likes of Coldplay and the legendary Queen, but the voice that Ruess has cannot be compared. The playlist included their hit single “We are Young”, and to this blogger hearing that song live was completely different experience. Ruess sang with such a passion that you would imagine it was the last time he was going to sing those lyrics or putting on a show. The repertoire includes two records,”Aim and Ignite” and their most recent in February 2012, “Some Nights.”

FUN. “We Are Young” LIVE at Twist & Shout 4/5/12

Chairlift, the prodigal band, came home for one night. Many folks don’t know that Chairlift is originally from the Republic of Boulder starting off at the University of Colorado. Caroline Polachek’s voice has the ability to sing any style of music and have the whole crowd eat from the palm of her hand. Her range hit it’s stride on “Ghost Tonight” as Polachek hushed into the Larimer Lounge mic as she made the entire stage her dance floor from side to side. Patrick Wimberly on bass duties is the unknown solider that made his presence known on “Amanaemonesia” honing in on early 80′s Police from “the Ghost in the Machine.” The all too familiar hit “Bruises” got the makeover treatment with Polachek using the lyrics from the all time classic Modern English joint, “I Melt With You,” interchangeably with “Bruises.”

Ramona Gonzalez aka Nite Jewel is the quintessential California performer that straddles the fine line between R&B and synth-pop with the ease of a swinging hammer. Ramona shined brightest on the faster numbers, especially on “One Second of Love,” the title cut from her latest release via Secretly Canadian. Gonzalez is a true product of her generation, channeling her style from early 80′s/90′s contemporary artists like Exposé and the Cover Girls with rabid success. The tempo of their set was one of the questionable items of the evening; on a couple of occasions the west coasters fell a little flat due to the setlist.

Nite Jewel – One Second of Love [mp3]

Jack Beats hit the decks last Friday over at one of the best nightclubs with the best sound in the world, Beta. C=T sent El Güero to sweat it out and dance his @ss off!

“Beni G and PLUS ONE together make up Jack Beats, producing bangin electro house tracks out of diverse sources, from indie rock hits like Florence and the Machine to dubstep stars like Skream.
PLUS ONE and Beni G are longtime producers and turntablists; Beni G is part of Mixologists and PLUS ONE is a member of the Scratch Perverts. PLUS ONE took the UK DMC championship in 2001 and the Mixologists placed 3rd in 2000 and 2nd in 2001 for the UK DMC team.
Together they’re much more famous than they had been separately; Jack Beats has produced some of the hottest tracks and remixes of the last few years. They’ve remixed tracks by Boy 8 Bit, Lady Sovereign, Kissy Sell out, La Roux and many more, and collaborated with some of the super big names in the UK scene such as Deekline & Wizard, the Breakfastaz, and Caspa.

Jack Beats got an enthusiastic welcome at Beta Saturday night, playing the main stage following Sub.mission’s lineup of Dirt Monkey and Zeno.
Sub.mission pulls in a bigger crowd than P.U.N.C.H.I.S, but it still seems strange to see dubstep in the main room and house in the lounge upstairs. Jesse Rose and Oliver $ played upstairs to a full room, and their infectiously danceable house was tough to walk away from for the main event downstairs. As Jack Beats came on, the crowd got visibly excited and pressed closer to the DJ booth. From upstairs looking over the balcony, or pressed up in front you could clearly see that Jack Beats turned up the fun and knew how to play the crowd.” Words, videos and photos by El Güero

It Monday and it’s time to shake off the self-inflicted injuries from the weekend. Atlanta’s the Coathangers will be bringing raw power to the small Hi-Dive stage tomorrow night with the likes of White Mystery and Denver’s own, SAUNA. Things should get live and face melts will be handed out for all attendees. Get there early to catch SAUNA.

the Coathangers-Shake , Shake [mp3]
SAUNA-Glitter Party [mp3]

Radio 1190, Cause=Time & Illegal Pete’s Present
The Coathangers
w/ White Mystery, Sauna
at Hi-Dive
Doors at 8:00 PM
Show at 9:00 PM
18+ $10.00

Percussion happy, White Rabbits, looked well rested despite a week long excursion down in Austin for SXSW.The sextet are cruising behind one of the year’s better album, “Milk Famous” released via TBD earlier this month. The new material plays like a bruiser live starting off with face melter, “Danny Come Inside” and contagious “Heavy Metal.” Stephen Patterson played the role of an evil scientist behind the piano and multiple drummers literally banging the drums to the melodic infectious beat. The guys brought everything together with the “It’s Frightening” jam, “Percussion Gun.” Am I crazy for thinking this, but White Rabbits have taken the torch from Spoon and not only ran with it, but they’ve taken the torch and gone Usain Bolt with their time spent with Spoon on their latest labor of love, “Milk Famous.” The release is the most balanced offering from the native sons of Missiouri that legitimately plays like an actual album. I will refer any doubters to “The Day You Won the War.”

White Rabbits- I’m Not Me [mp3]

Tour Dates

March 20: Salt Lake City, UT / Urban Lounge
March 22: Portland, OR / Doug Fir Lounge
March 23: Vancouver, BC / Biltmore Cabaret
March 24: Seattle, WA / Crocodile Cafe
March 26: San Francisco, CA / The Independent
March 28: Los Angeles, CA / El Rey Theatre
March 29: San Diego, CA / The Casbah
March 30: Phoenix, AZ / Crescent Ballroom
March 31: Tucson, AZ / Club Congress
April 3: Lawrence, KS / Jackpot Music Hall
April 4: Columbia, MO / The Blue Note
April 5: St. Louis, MO / Plush
April 6: Madison, WI / High Noon Saloon
April 7: Minneapolis, MN / Triple Rock Social Club
April 8: Chicago, IL / Metro
April 12: New York, NY / Webster Hall
April 13: Northampton, MA / Pearl Street Downtown
April 14: Boston, MA / Paradise Rock Club

* with Tennis
^ with The War On Drugs

Whitney Van Cleave has been contributing the last couple of days while taking in all of the action in Austin for the interactive portion of SXSW. Ms. Van Cleave checks in with one of the bay area’s liveliest acts going, Wallpaper.

“Last night Wallpaper brought the house down at Speakesy during SAYmedia/TastemakerX party. The Oakland-based beat-tacular pop outfit surprised everyone with barrage of drums, clapping and sharp-tongued rhymes from front man Ricky Reed. Add in the antics of female accompaniment Novena, who has more ferocity and swagger than I thought one woman could, and you have yourselves a unmatched dance explosion of a set that is really beyond words. Their set was without a doubt the best I’ve seen yet this year and I’m bummed that I just missed them in Boulder. Nonetheless, put that shit on your iPod STAT and in the meantime,  check out the photos below:”

Word and photos by Whitney Van Cleave.  Ms. Van Cleave is co-founder of health-centric social startup, Feel Good Now in Denver.