RandomTope Events Update

So, the spring concert season is practically upon us. We already had four of them on deck in the next few months, and now you can add No Doubt to the list.


I'm not always a huge fan of Gwen Stefani's solo work. I think some of it is more gimmick than timeless.

But once one of her tighter songs pops on the iPod, or pretty much anything from the No Doubt collection, I'm reminded what a music powerhouse she and her bandmates are.

They whole band is finally getting back together for a bit, interrupting her Stefani's superstar solo trajectory, so now's the time to catch one of the seminal bands of the 1990's doing their thing.

No Doubt hits Denver at Fiddler's Green, Wednesday May 27. Tickets are on presale right now and go on sale to the public Saturday, March 7.

As will all the other concerts you can always find links to tickets over there on the right-hand side of this page under the RandomTope Events list. It looks like Cut Copy and Lady Gaga are both sold out now, but there's still time to join us at The Presets, Franz Ferdinand and No Doubt!

See you there!

The Spring Concert Calendar

See that little list over there on the right? The one that says RandomTope Events?

Notice how it's refilled again?

The RandomTope Events links show you how to buy your own tickets to these great shows. Let me know if you'll be there!

Cut Copy
Both Nelse and I have raved about them for a while now. We discovered these Aussie electro-rockers a few years back when they opened an electrifying Franz Ferdinand show here in Denver, and we've been huge fans ever since. If you haven't checked out their album In Ghost Colours, there's good reason Nelse chose it as his best album of the year -- a choice I heartily agree with. If they were able to get Red Rocks off it's feet mid-afternoon this summer, you can imagine what they'll be able to do at a small venue like the Bluebird this March!

Lady GaGa
She's been percolating on our radar since last summer when we first got wind of Just Dance. If you've seen any of her live performances on TV or the web since then, you'll see she's the real deal. A high energy dance diva for a new generation. Now that Just Dance has exploded and Poker Face is well on it's way up the charts she is well on way to becoming a major star. There's a reason Nelse included her in his Top 10.

The Presets
And here's the gaping hole left out of Nelse's best album list of 2008. Last year's Apocalypso is easily one of the best high-energy, listen-to-it-loud albums of last year. Some call them a dance punk duo, and I think that may be an apt description of them live. At Monolith they stuck them in a tiny claustrophobic room that quickly filled over-capacity, and they just hit it out of the park. I can't wait to see them in a proper venue that's sure to have us all on our feet jumping (and celebrating a special occasion).

---
Another gig worth catching here in Denver, is The Ting Tings on April 8. We can't make it due to matzah festivities that night, but this British duo is another one of the great bands of 2008. You can get tickets for what's sure to be a great show at The Bluebird HERE.

The Best Albums of 2008

Once again here's Nelse with a top notch list of music from the year gone by. If you need some comparison, check out his list from last year.

1. Cut Copy “In Ghost Colours”

The memories of seeing this unknown band open for Franz Ferdinand several years ago at the Fillmore Auditorium in Denver still makes me tingle. What an amazing opening act and a great debut from the band from the land down under. This follow-up disc has them experimenting even further with the dance-rock fusion with much success.

2. Vampire Weekend “Vampire Weekend”

Hands down this is one of my all time favorite records from 2008. From the first listen this album has become a classic with a blend of preppy pop-rock sounds with dash of Talking Heads, a pinch of the early Police sounds, and topped with a sprinkle of the Kinks. This is pop-perfection and easily played on endless repeat all year long.

3. Ting Tings “We Started Nothing”

Forget the hype and just take a second listen to this upbeat album from the Tings. At my first listen I have to admit I was less than impressed by the repeating “the drums, the drums, the drums”. Then came the Apple iPod ad with “Shut Up and Let Me Go” and I was curious. The album has become decidedly perfect party music for the past year.

4. The Killers “Day and Age”

One of the most anticipated of all year. Ahhh, so refreshing to have a delightfully energetic and thunderous third album from the Las Vegas rockers. Definitely another great stop on this bands long future. Are we human or are we dancer?

5. Robyn “Robyn”

A nice departure for this former one hit wonder from the nineties. She is back and totally reinvented. Cool electro-pop with a sharp edge and some tough ass lyrics!



6. MGMT “Oracular Spectacular”

So trippy, so spaced out, so cool, so I want rebel from my office job and play outside!





7. Estelle “Shine”

For me, this was what Lauryn Hill’s follow-up album should have been. I thought Estelle hit it out of the park and I crown her the queen of urban beats with silky smooth edge.


8. Kaiser Chiefs “Off With Their Heads”

Does everything Mark Ronson touch turn to gold? Not that these blokes would do any worse on their own. Definitely a highly rated album that slipped under the radar this year. What did I learn today “I learned nothing!”

9. The Last Shadow Puppets “The Age of the Understatement”

A great side project from the lead singer of the Arctic Monkeys that I discovered over New Year’s weekend after surfing some end of year lists. A groovy set of old school James Bond inspired tracks.

10. Lady Gaga “The Fame”

I have to admit that I was skeptical when this album dropped. After hearing the overplayed first single all summer I wasn’t expecting much else. Surprisingly the album presented some stand out tracks that I have been playing next stop. I also have next year’s summer jam pegged!

The worst of 2008:

Madonna “Hard Candy”: Great to see her play Denver for the first time and she still puts on the best show out there, but can she please stop giving us Spanish lessons while trying to sound urban?

Jem “Down to Earth”: I was expecting so much more from hew follow-up album after an amazing debut. Unfortunately, she sold out to the adult contemporary crowd. A few decent tracks, but sadly this one missed the mark.

Hot Chip “Made in the Dark”: Booooo! Way too many bleeps and blurps! This one gets annoying after the first listen.

Pink “Funhouse”: A good first single, but the rest of the album is quite a frightening funhouse indeed.

Record Delays:

No Annie, Franz Ferdinand, Daniel Merriweather, No Doubt or Lily Allen albums until 2009! Record labels can be mean bastards!

It's cool to know nothing.

The Kaiser Chiefs are back with Never Miss A Beat, their new lodge-itself-in-your-head single off their new album, Off With Their Heads.

I heard this a while back when it first showed up on the music blogosphere, but kept trying to ignore it. Frankly, the I Predict A Riot guys followed up their bang-up debut album with a middling follow-up and I wasn't too interested in what they were up to anymore.

It trickled around slowly, and I gave it every chance to impress.

And impress it has.

This should really come as no surprise to me considering Never Miss A Beat's pedigreed producer, Mark Ronson, whom I can't imagine having raved enough about in the past year or so.



If you like the tune, search around for the Cut Copy Remix. It's a sublime upbeat collaboration.

A Monolith Day at Red Rocks

It is easy to forget how lucky we are to have a place like Red Rocks nearby.

There's a reason bands have long made the pilgrimage to our natural wonderland of an amphitheater at the foot of the Rocky Mountains. Most famously U2 will always be remembered for belting Sunday Bloody Sunday to the world from Denver foothills.

The venue itself is iconic.

Time after time on Saturday, artists new to the venue stopped to admire with awe the dramatic rock outcroppings rising up high above them. It is no less impressive for the audience. Facing down the mountain onto the stage, the entire city of Denver spreads out before you into the great plains.

It's one majestic place.

Our one day foray into the Monolith Music Festival on Saturday was a great reminder of this.

Exhausted after hiking up and down the amphitheater more than a few times, we went home giddy -- and not too deaf -- after some rousing performances from bands we knew, and some we didn't.

Foals, Cut Copy, Vampire Weekend and The Presets were absolute highlights. Superdrag and The Fratellis, not so much. And our short misguided foray into White Denim was saved by a quick escape.

More on these bands in the days ahead, but here's hoping Monolith lives to play another year. Hat's off to the organizers for putting together such a bang-on lineup on Saturday.

In the meantime you can take a gander at Westword's much more comprehensive take on the two-day event HERE, HERE, and HERE. The Denver Post has photos and links to their still unspooling reviews HERE.

I don't necessarily agree with their takes on the sets I caught on Saturday, but that's the point of a festival like this: With five separate stages, there was plenty for everyone to dig!

It was a rocking good time in a setting that's 100% Colorado.

Hearts on Fire, I reach out to you tonight

I'm loving Cut Copy this year, and these snippets from a recent live gig in Brooklyn have me even more excited to see them at the Monolith Music Festival here in a few weeks.

Catch more from the show over at Pitchfork.tv.

A warning, if your boss doesn't approve of the f-bomb, watch out during the second clip...

Out There on the Ice

Hearts on Fire

Lights and music are on my mind

Australian electo-band Cut Copy are back with a new album. While the video for their lead single, Lights & Music, has been out for a bit, I neglected to listen to it.

My bad.

If the rest of the album reflects this gem of an upbeat tune, the news bodes well for another great album coming out. It is finally looking like the winter music drought is thawing again.



For now it seems like the new album is strangled by DRM protection on iTunes, which means I will stick to the old-school cd when it shows up in stores.

I really am over the creative conglomerates making it difficult to own my media. I don't want to rent it. I don't want to be told how long I can use it. I just want it to work seamlessly with the players I have, and for me to be able to build the library I want with the stuff.