Something Like Sound

It has been several months since we’ve heard anything new from the Dualistics camp. But alas! Their brand of 90′s alt-rock inspired music has returned once again in the form of a new EP and a release show.

Album opener “The Optimist” stands out with its lyrics and production value:

“We are lied to all the time / say the word and I’ll feed you a line”

There are a couple songs on Crimson that might sound familiar, this is for good reason. “Last Call” was featured on the premier SLS compilation Colorado Sounds and “Sabbatical” was the b-side to the “Last Call” digital single.

Crimson is available as a digital download and will be released in physical form at the Hi-Dive this Saturday. The $6, 21+ show will also feature Mike Marchant’s Outer Space Party Unit and 200 Million Years (doors at 8).

Download “The Optimist” (for free) here.

When classes ended at the Colorado School of Mines in May of 2009 we got a wild idea: let’s curate a compilation of our favorite local acts and give it away for free! Over the span of 6 months we managed to gather a group of songs that reflect the diversity and quality of the Denver music scene. It is my hope that everyone can find a track that they enjoy on this compilation and discover something wonderful and new. Please support the artists who contributed by purchasing their music and attending their concerts.

Track List

1. The Photo Atlas – “Jealous Teeth”

2. The Epilogues – “King Arthur”

3. Dualistics – “Last Call”

4. The Heyday – “Come In Or Stay Out”

5. Red Fox Run – “Remembering”

6. Young Coyotes – “When I Was In The Fire”

7. Houses – “We’re Alright”

8. Hello Kavita – “Sunday (It’s A Chrome Tide)”

9. Rob Drabkin – “Sweet Things”

10. Danielle Ate The Sandwich – “Handsome Girl”

11. Paper Bird – “St. Louis”

DOWNLOAD COLORADO SOUNDS

It’s high time that I sat down and pointed you in all directions at once. All over the web there are great, free & legal downloads from some of Colorado’s finest (bands, that is… the police don’t really have much out there). Just click on the images to go to the places.

Savoy – Self-Titled EP: The entire thing is free on the group’s website. Unfortunately we missed their set at Monolith, but fear not! They’re doing a show November 21 at the Bluebird.

Hello Kavita – To A Loved One 2 song sampler. It’s been a while since we’ve heard from these guys, but they’re finally releasing another record on October 23 at the Hi-Dive, with Houses and It’s True! Even just listening to the 2 sample tracks, I’m excited for what these guys have in store.

Arliss Nancy – Dance To Forget: Fort Collins own answer to Lucero, this record is technically a $5 donation, but you could get it for free if you really like. Click back a few pages to see our review.

Rob Drabkin – On These Heavy Feet: Rob’s still got this link up for people to download his full length. He did it as a way of saying “Thank You” for all the cool stuff that his fans have helped him with this summer.

Dualistics – Last Call single: Featuring the sharp new song “Last Call” and a great b-side “Sabbatical,” this is a must download for fans of solid rock music. The file also contains a few tracks from this group’s self-titled EP.

Pretty Lights – Discography: Pick up Filling Up The City Skies and Taking Up Your Precious Time for free from the Fort Collins-based group. Definitely listen to “Solamente.” Also, just announced, the new Pretty Lights record Passing Behind Your Eyes will be available October 6.

Drag The River - Live at the Starlight: This long-out-of-print record is still being offered as a free download by our friends at Suburban Home Records. It’s a great live album and a bit of CO music history.

Rabbit Is A Sphere – Discography: It was sad to see these guys go on indefinite hiatus, but you can still enjoy their music and a high-quality bootleg via the link.

M. Pyres – Consider Me, Ghost and other FTU albums: Matt Sage of Fort Collins is quickly becoming a lo-fi phenomenon (if there can even be such a thing). Give Consider Me, Ghost a listen, then stay tuned for Apart The Echo, which is coming soon.

Young Coyotes – Basement EP: Possibly one of my favorite recordings released this year, Young Coyotes have their first EP (which was recorded… in a basement) for free on their website.

Cowboy Curse – Nod Up And Down: I first heard this band at the UMS this year. Definitely check out their song “Negative Space.”

Alright, that’s enough for now, I’ll let these build up a bit then do another one in another month or so.

Patrick Beseda // Photo By Tim Weilert

Welcome back to school! If you’re reading this there’s a good possibility that you’re at the lovely (and notorious) Colorado School of Mines. While you were off drilling for oil or designing yet another SolidWorks model, we were busy going to concerts, conducting interviews, and reviewing the best new music that Denver has to offer. Here’s some of the highlights from the 2009 Denver summer music season.

• Interviews! We got tons of them: everybody from Bad Religion, Lucero, and Big Head Todd & The Monsters to local favorites such as Danielle Ate The Sandwich, Paper Bird, Rob Drabkin, The Heyday, and Dualistics. Also, most of our interviews are in video form for your entertainment.
• Festivals! With access to the summer’s hottest festivals, be sure to read up on the Westword Music Showcase, Mile High Music Festival, The Underground Music Showcase, and Warped Tour.
• Reviews! Just scroll through a couple pages to see all the records we listened to this summer. Most of our favorites were local acts, sure to make it big soon.
• A compilation! Just when you thought there wasn’t anything else, we’re dropping this on you. Coming soon (hopefully September 4, to coincide with the Celebration of Mines), we will be releasing our first compilation of local acts on the newly formed OrediggeRecords.
• A contest! Be our 200th follower on Twitter and win!

Tim Weilert // Photo By Patrick Beseda

So consider joining the team and check out one of The Oredigger‘s informational sessions.

Here comes the second, just like the first, a little bit louder and a whole lot worse.

Saturday

Joseph Pope III (Rock The Cradle, 3 pm): I haven’t had a chance to catch his solo act yet, but I have enjoyed what he has added to The Wheel.

Elin Palmer (South Broadway Christian Church, 4pm): After seeing her play Friday night, I’m impressed (and also a little intrigued to learn more about Sweden). I might not show up to this one (since I did just see her), but you definitely should check it out.

In The Red (TS Board Shop, 5:30 pm): As a band on the local Suburban Home Records, I’ve heard alot about these guys, but haven’t heard them live yet.

Astrophagus (Hi-Dive, 6:30 pm): A band that combines beautiful and trippy soundscapes with guitar and trumpet. It’s like the ’59 sound remixed.

Wardens (Hi-Dive, 8:00 pm): I met the lovely ladies from Wardens Friday night, and I said I’d be there. Plus these girls came all the way from Brooklyn.

Danielle Ate The Sandwich (Hornet, 8:15 pm): Ukulele madness! You gotta love Danielle’s unique style

Dualistics (Skylark, 9:30 pm): Get ready to rock out, plus hear some new tunes from this group.

Bad Weather California (Hi-Dive, Midnight): Another excellent closer for the evening, Bad Weather will certainly not let Saturday go quietly into the night.

Sunday

The Pseudo-Dates (TS Board Shop, 3:30 pm): Another band I met during the festival. These guys seem like a fun bunch, so why not check them out (what else would you be doing at 3:30 on a Sunday?)

Hawks of Paradise (Goodwill Parking Lot, 4:30): Last time I saw these guys was opening for Akron/Family, and I remember it being very loud (in a good way).

1090 Club (Goodwill Parking Lot, 6 pm): I already did a write up on these guys, read that.

Andrea Ball (Hi-Dive, 8:15 pm): I had “Beat Beat Pound” stuck in my head today (again), maybe she can get it stuck in yours too.

Bowerbirds (Hi-Dive, 10 pm): This group is making the trek all the way from North Carolina to croon us Colorado folk, don’t miss it.

For a moment imagine you’ve been transported back to the early 1990′s. Kurt Cobain is still alive and Radiohead is still selling their records instead of giving them away for free on the internet (the internet is also not cool yet either). Take what you like from the good rock bands of the time, mix it up, and out comes Dualistics. Not a dated ripoff or cheesy 90′s cover band, Dualistics have combined the heavy hitting sounds of those groups with an accessibility that is almost uncommon in today’s music scene.

Initially, I didn’t know what to think of their EP. At a first listen the predominant sound is guitars… lots of guitars. This is especially noticeable on the opening track “Sleight of Hand.” However, upon repeat listening the creativity and delivery of the lyrics and vocals begin to cut through the mix.

Our favorite tracks include the rocker “Sleight of Hand,” the Radiohead-esque “Pure Sorcery,” and the fiery “Spy vs. Spy.”

This record is not “deep,” but instead is accessible to a broad audience. The catchy guitar riffs and melodic hooks make this EP a fun listen. I would personally recommend this release for any fan of alternative-rock (especially if decent 90′s music is your thing).

Dualistics is available via the band’s MySpace and on iTunes. Furthermore, expect to see some new material from these guys in the coming months.

Watch the making of the EP (episode 1) here:

We sat down with Denver-based progressive-pop-rockers Dualistics before their recent set at the Hi-Dive to talk about their background, plans, and influences. Also, they had a watermelon but no knife, so we didn’t get to eat any of it.

When Tyler Despres from Dualistics first got in touch with our blog about a month ago, I was swamped. Already dealing with a backlog of reviews and interviews, I had to worry about final exams. I gave their EP a quick listen and couldn’t quite put my finger on what I liked about this group. It was not until we got to see Dualistics perform live at the Hi-Dive last weekend that the quality of this group really began to sink in (more on them in a bit).

First up was a local band, Hot Robot. They had a straightforward rock sound and fairly polished sound, with guitar solos and vocal work that reminded me of more recent Sugarcult. Following this group was Salt Lake City (soon to be L.A.) based Kid Theodore. K.T.’s set was incredibly energetic as they mixed pop-vocals with classic instrumentation. With an old-school electric piano and a nice bit of spring reverb, they continued the Saturday-night rock show, warming up the crowd with sounds that occasionally reminded me of surf rock records mixed with upbeat pop-indie. Overall, they put on a great set for an opening act.

Finally it was time for Dualistics. The Hi-Dive was cozy with friends and family as the group took the stage. As a group that has been busy working on new material, they started the set with a new tune (Despres even had the lyric sheet taped to his mic stand, it was apparently very new). Then they moved in to the main part of their set.

Perhaps it was the great sound mixing, or just the straight quality of the group, but as they started playing “Sleight of Hand,” I was instantly transported back to when I first listened to the recording they sent me a month earlier. However, this time it was different. These were the same songs I had heard before, but now they had another, more natural and intense aspect to them. The hollowness of the recording gone, I started having fun and rocking out. Moving from song to song, I could hear the early 90′s influence as they played through literally all of their songs (and a few new ones). By the time the set had finished there was no opportunity for an encore, one of the band members simply said, “That’s all we have, thank you.”

Look for our review of the Dualistics EP and our video interview with the group later this week.

Words by Tim Weilert, Photos by Bengsoon Chuah

Hey, sorry about the lack of posts, I’ve been in my SolidWorks/CAD class all week for about 9 hours a day. See the results of my efforts below. As soon as we get the photos figured out we’ll have a review of the Dualistics show from last week.