Something Like Sound

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

So here it finally is! Our interview with Detroit’s The Silent Years. Sorry about the wait on getting this up, we filmed it right in the middle of finals week, but finally got around to it today. These guys went on to put on a solid set, playing mostly from their Let Go EP (for our review of that release check the archives, or click the tags).

Part 1

Part 2

Here it is! Our interview with 1090 Club from a couple weeks back. Now that finals are done we can get to the incredible backlog we’ve developed here. The interview is in 2 parts (dang YouTube, not letting us do more than 10 min at a time), but both are incredibly interesting. Within the next few days we should have our interviews with The Photo Atlas and The Silent Years up, in addition to some more reviews of local bands.

While the rest of the world was tucked away in blankets sipping hot chocolate, roughly 70 people trekked out to downtown Denver in the cold, dreary weather to see one of Denver’s most non-dreary bands. Headlining at the Hi Dive, the Photo Atlas, along with the openers 1090 Club and The Forecast, put on a show that made all the hassle of driving through the downpour worth it.

As I waited for the show to start, I struck up a conversation with one of the maybe 10 people there (the rest showed up after the concert started). He said he used to write for Chicago’s version of Westword, a newspaper that especially spotlights local music. He made it a point to get to this show specifically for the first opening band, The Forecast. Hailing from Peoria, Illinois, The Forecast could best be described as a Midwest punk band straight from the mid-90′s. With the volume cranked up (almost to the point of discomfort), The Forecast blazed through songs with considerable skill as they mixed the vocals of both male and female lead singers with the ever-driving guitar. Their sound rang quite familiar since they come out of a well-explored genre. However, the songs were still distinct and there were no dead points to the set.

Next up was a band quite familiar to this blog, 1090 Club. The first content we put up here was a review of The Appleseed Cast concert where 1090 Club opened, shortly followed by a review of the album Natural Selection, which has since been released. Starting strong, the band kept a steady pace with their heart-felt vocals. Their unconventional mix including a piano and a violin, but lacking a bass, worked nicely for them. Similar to The Forecast, 1090 Club had mixed vocals frequently through their music. The darker sound of 1090 Club transitioned perfectly from the upbeat riffs of The Forecast to the minor tone of The Photo Atlas.

No newcomer to the Denver music scene, The Photo Atlas has a unique sound that can best be described as “dance punk.” Even my friend from Chicago knew of The Photo Atlas’ reputation around Denver. With an invitation for the spread-out crowd to come in closer “so we can all dance together,” The Photo Atlas started with their typical rock sound that broke down into a dance beat for the chorus. The complex guitar riffs, often reminding me of Saosin, tied songs together from start till finish. Vocals, closer to melodic yelling than anything else, fit well with their style of music. It was rather strange the first time the dance beats came in since it’s not expected at a rock concert. However, as the set progressed, people started moving more and more. Old songs and new fell together, pulling music from throughout their career. Time flew as the band played, making the end of the 45-minute set seem like it was still the beginning.

I pity all who decided against this $8 show because of the weather. We’ll keep you informed of other chances to see these guys. Video interviews with all three of these bands to follow…

Words by Spencer Nelson, Photos by Patrick Beseda