New Music Monday: Sharon Van Etten — I Don’t Want to Let You Down

June 15, 2015

For me, the best artists (musical or not) are the ones who are growing from project to project. Whether the development is a growth in the boundaries of their particular sound, or an emotional one, which garners tasty new morsels of insight, it’s important to me that the struggle is present. It makes the music feel more genuine, more organic. Last year, when Sharon Van Etten released Are We There, we glimpsed into the gnarled and fraught mental scape of a woman on the edge of love. Now, in her new EP, I Don’t Want to Let You Down, we visit Van Etten on the same heart break, now with room enough for perspective.

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Album Review: Duchovny —Crystal Broth

January 19, 2015

“It’s not about meth,” says Noel Afan Billups, of Greeley-based band Duchovny, regarding their new EP Crystal Broth.

“Well, if you want it to be, I mean, sure,” adds Dylan Sonke, the second principal songwriter of the group. Billups and Sonke met during freshmen orientation at the University of Northern Colorado more than three years ago and formed Duchovny soon after. Since then they have been grinding away at their live set with constant gigging and a series of small tours that honed their sound into a psychedelic ethereal dream pop. The record title was inspired by a UNC English professor of the same name, which is equally as weird, but the imagery of “crystal broth” fits the album like a glove.

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Album Review: Silver and Gold – Compression

November 5, 2014

Silver and Gold have been a Greeley talent treasure trove with bounds of musical silver, and surprise, surprise… premium gold. The five star band features Davis Williams (drums), Brandon Vela (bass), Claire Jensen (keyboard/ vocals), Pie Lombardi (guitar/ vocals) and Devon Hildebrandt (guitar/ vocals). They just keep getting better. Their new EP, Compression is a direct reflection of how well they work together.

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Album Review: The Burroughs – Self Titled EP

June 26, 2014

Whether they’re starting a full-on dance contest during a show with original compositions or performing rip-roaring covers of everything from Beyonce’s “Love on Top” to the Ghostbusters theme, The Burroughs are never short on energy. In under a year of operation, the band has already displayed impressive talent and limitless confidence to match a group several times their tenure. The wait has seemed longer than it actually was, but The Burroughs EP is here, and as expected, is plenty of fun.

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Album Review: Pandas & People – Pandas & People

April 7, 2014

It’s always exciting when an existing band branches off to explore a new sound and style. Members of the alt-rock (and generally pretty decent) band Five Day Rhetoric, in their downtime, decided to start experimenting with folk rock–a decision that eventually spawned their new project, Pandas & People. The name is catchy, and the music is nice and catchy. However, the product doesn’t break much new ground in terms of the genre, despite the clear presence of passion and potential.

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