Poets & Wolves Bring Their Alternative Indie Dance Pop Sound Alive At Denver Show

By: Nathan Sheppard

Poets & Wolves played Your Mom's House last week, with Adventure Nothing and The Ugly Architect. The intimate show started with a mix of original songs and solid covers by Adventure Nothing. Then The Ugly Architect, an outfit from Fort Collins, took the stage and bumped up the energy with their exuberant performance style and fun-loving stage presence.

Poets & Wolves.

Poets & Wolves.

The Greeley-based band Poets & Wolves finished off the night with a solid set. The alternative indie four-piece use a wide variety of influences and genres to create a sound unique to themselves. They mix slow, melodic bass with catchy guitar riffs to get you dancing while simultaneously keeping alt chill elements strong throughout their catchy, grooving tunes.

The group opened their set with songs from their debut EP To The Moon, having only released two double-single records prior. Poets & Wolves also did a cover of Linkin Park's “Waiting For The End” with their own alt emo twist. They topped off the night with one of their older singles, “Pretty Little Mess,” which sent the night off with a stomping frenzy.

Poets & Wolves (2).jpg

You can stream Poets & Wolves’ music on all platforms and keep up with them on Facebook. Though this was the band’s last show of 2017, you can see them January 11th at Globe Hall with Stereoshifter, Echoes In Reverie, and Wolf Poets.

-Nathan

All photos, videos, and embedded tracks per the artists featured and those credited. This feature was edited for brevity and clarity by BolderBeat.

Review: Cody Munro Moore's 'Perfume Nights' Will Give You All The Right 80s Feels

By: Adrian DeSimone

Australian artist Cody Munro Moore is clearly a millennial, even if he’s not. His music is a little bit of this and a little bit of that, a sound that hearkens to something specific but upon deeper reflection, carries notes of a vast array of influences that inevitably create his own unique flavor of 80s inspired alt pop. These elements are evident on his new record, Perfume Nights.

On “Just Don’t Need It Enough,” he carries Joe Strummer’s heavily reverbed, almost wailing tone from The Clash’s early days. The sonic space given in the middle part of the song allows the listener to ponder a scene of their choosing, letting the echoes bounce around their own imagination, right as the song builds back in to get you grooving again. Moore does this beautiful balancing act between blending upbeat danciness and spatial vibes.

 

No Matter How Hard” borrows some notes from The Cure in vocals, as well as some modern influences like Tame Impala on the bass line, but again one can’t shake the visions of The Clash on this record. There is a fond sentimentality as Moore embraces the rawness of punk sensibility with a stronger emphasis on a “prettier” sound (reverb, echoes, distant horns), which is what always endeared me to those formative Clash albums. There is also a roughness to Moore’s voice that he doesn’t try to hide- in fact emphasizing those notes give his voice that special quality. Where someone like King Krule goes all the way, Moore is more subtle, allowing the glowing production to exist in the same sonic forum.  

Cody Munro Moore.

Cody Munro Moore.

On “Gold Watches,” Moore goes all in on the 80s feel. Echoing sax lines and unintentional visions of traveling through the city are almost reminiscent of Bruce Springsteen, the king of sentimentality. What I love most about Moore is that while he clearly has an audible aesthetic built around a relatively recognizable sound, there are so many bits and pieces of his influence that make these songs a cut above. Check out Perfume Nights above and purchase the vinyl through Dinosaur City Records

Keep up with Cody Munro Moore here

-Adrian

All photos, videos, and embedded tracks per the artists featured and those credited. This feature was edited for brevity and clarity by BolderBeat.

joemurray. Releases Debut Indie Single From Upcoming Record 'Free'

By: Norman Hittle

From his upcoming record Finally, Joe Murray (stylized as joemurray.) has recently released his first single “Free” - a jazz influenced indie rock track about relational freedom.

Listen to “Free”:

With fluttering, fluted synths leading the charge, the song combines the elements of electric guitar, drum machines, and a sax lead with some heavily affected and lo-fi vocals. The sonic combination gives a sort of ominous alt/pop vibe.

joemurray.

joemurray.

Based in Denver, CO, joemurray. is a multi-instrumentalist who has been creating music in his bedroom for years. With the upcoming release of his new music, he is making his first exciting steps into the Colorado music scene.

joemurray. told BolderBeat, “My debut EP Finally is an exploration of self-centeredness. There’s been many songs and topics I’ve written about over the years, and I wanted this album to be a reflection of that. These are things I’ve been feeling for a long time, and have finally found a sound I’m happy with. Finally, while focusing on that self-centeredness, will touch on love, addiction, power, and nostalgia. I’ve been working really hard to create something that I’m proud of, and I hope that comes through in the music.”

The full release of Finally is slotted for November 3rd, so keep an eye out for it on Spotify and Facebook.

-Norman

All photos, videos, and embedded tracks per the artists featured and those credited. This feature was edited for brevity and clarity by BolderBeat.

The Rocket Summer & 888 Bring Crowdsurfing Alt Pop Tour To Denver

By: Matti Earley

Local icons 888 returned for a stop in their hometown on Friday at Denver’s Marquis Theatre. The alt-pop three-piece first started gaining momentum in 2015 by winning 93.3 KTCL’s Hometown for the Holidays contest, and ever since then, they’ve been busy on a national scale. Friday’s show marked the start of their second tour of the year, following one with Missio in the spring.

888.

888.

“Gold" was an example of the kind of juxtaposition 888 have mastered in sound. It is the ideal pop radio hit, but not formulaic in the way that some top 40 songs can be. Instead, it feels like a much needed moment of honesty about the uncertainty that comes with trying to find a place in the world. Such underlying fears were explored even further and with a more melancholy overtone in “Creepers,” which came out less than a month ago and was great live. Of course, the trio also played their hit "Critical Mistakes," the song that arguably gave them their start on a national level.

The Rocket Summer began his impressive set soon after 888 ended, and played over 20 songs to fans. Ten years after the release of his record Do You Feel, Bryce Avary is still going strong. His choice of what to play Friday was undoubtedly a culmination drawing from his entire discography, and even included songs that he had never been done live before.

The Rocket Summer.

The Rocket Summer.

As evidenced by putting “So Much Love” near the beginning of his performance, Avary is uncontainably joyous about being a musician. This really showed in his interactions with the audience, who were as much a part of the show as him. After playing on a platform in the middle of the crowd, Avary made his way back upfront via crowdsurfing. In between songs, there were moments on the setlist specifically designated for him to talk with the audience. And rather than a preset encore, he asked the crowd what we wanted to hear before finishing with a few fan favorites. One of those, called “Brat Pack,” came from 2005’s Hello, Good Friend and was a seriously popular throwback that was crazy to hear live.

The Rocket Summer with 888’s tour wraps up in less than two weeks on August 29th at Arizona’s Crescent Ballroom. Make sure to catch a show while you can, and in the meantime, check out both acts recent releases on Spotify.

-Matti

All photos per the author. This feature was edited for brevity and clarity by BolderBeat.

Premiere: Compass & Cavern's "Good Enough" Showcases Sound Of Their New Alt-Pop Record

By: Norman Hittle

It’s been two years of cultivation with odd dreams of rock’n’roll legends, bouts with love, and feeling the press of time as temporal beings; and finally the Denver based indie-rock/power-pop duo Compass & Cavern are back with their full-length album Before it Begins, and premiering their third music video from the record for the track “Good Enough.”

Compass & Cavern is frontman/guitarist Will Timbers, and synth-master Chris Frucci. Their name is derived from two concepts that resonated with Will and Chris throughout the project’s formation. “Compass” refers to the phrase, “don’t confuse the map with the territory.” Will first came across this idea in college philosophy lectures and thought it was a particularly beautiful way of describing how we mistakenly claim to “know” things with which we have a surface-level connection. For example, we could learn everything there is to know about the Grand Canyon, but our understanding of its grandeur is incomplete until we actually experience it for ourselves. The “map” pales in comparison to the “territory” it is representing.

“Cavern” is an allusion to Plato’s Allegory of the Cave, a parable that uses sweet imagery to help us understand how we develop ideas about what is “real.” Remember the black and blue vs. white and gold dress picture that took the internet by storm in early 2015? That was a powerful and tangible example for how we can experience reality differently because of our varying perceptions of the surrounding world. Knowing this, C&C sees music as the best medium to share perspectives with others.

As far as sonic similarities, I would say C&C’s sound is influenced by some of the more formidable alt-pop acts such as 311, Twenty One Pilots, and Weezer.

Regarding the video, Compass & Cavern told BolderBeat:

“The song attempts to portray a blend of confidence and self-doubt in the context of a relationship (or at least a desired relationship!). It's the feeling of superiority and the recognition of personal shortcomings when thinking about what, or who, is best for a person you admire. It's basically a pride pendulum swing. The video plays on that theme, but leaves even more ambiguity as to who the ‘good guys’ are in the story. With every song we write, my biggest hope is that listeners will understand and identify with the emotion and message, at least to some degree.”

Stream and listen to Compass & Cavern’s Before it Begins on Bandcamp, add them to your Spotify playlists, and take a gander at the creative storylines in their other videos on YouTube!

-Norman

All photos, videos, and embedded tracks per the artists featured and those credited. This feature was edited for brevity and clarity by BolderBeat.

CITRA Release Two New Gritty, Rockin' Singles + A Music Video

By: Austin Michon

Denver’s CITRA recently released a new music video for their latest single, “Air.” The tune is an uptempo track dripping in angst set to a bright, alt-pop feel. Fueled by catchy, driving guitar riffs from Augie Menos, the track is filled with abrupt changes throughout, making it an exciting sonic ride. It clips along at a dancey, feel-good tempo featuring the dynamic voice of frontman Brandon Arndt and one intense, high-energy rhythm section (courtesy of Dan Naddy on drums and Sean Slattery on bass). The accompanying music video shows off an energetic and exciting stage performance by the group, who you can catch live at The Lost Lake Lounge on March 3rd with One Flew West.

Watch CITRA’s new music video for “Air”:

Along with “Air”, the band also released the primal-screaming B-side “My My Mind,” which has a much more bluesy sort of vibe. Full of rapid-fire vocal melody before it breaks into the loud, angry chorus and a ripping guitar solo, “My My Mind” really rocks out.

These two new tracks from CITRA present a more refined sound for the band since their 2016 debut “Ocean,” but both still retain the edge so vital to their sound. Gritty, dirty, edgy, yet catchy, a little grungy, and very original, we expect to hear these guys and their hard work appearing everywhere soon.

Keep up with CITRA here.

-Austin

All photos, videos, and embedded tracks per the artists featured and those credited. This feature was edited for brevity and clarity by BolderBeat.