The 25 best concerts this winter/spring

10. CAT POWER @ OGDEN THEATRE | THURS, 1/24/13
Erratic behavior on stage, substance abuse, mental breakdowns and health problems on and off, the singer known as Cat Power has been making matchless records and equally searing gossip column fodder since the early '90s. But like all of the best stories rock and roll has created, the tumultuous ones often lend to the best catalogs -- and through her public drama, Marshall's voice remains the talking point. Soulful, scalding and resilient, she embraces blues, punkish minimalism and Dylan all the same. Marshall's latest record, Sun, is an experiment in arrangement, vocal layering and the utilization of autotune as a method of genius manipulation, rather than a bandage. Cat Power's stop in Denver is just one of five dates she'll be performing stateside on her recently revamped tour -- one she postponed late last year due to impending bankruptcy and illness. But luckily for Cat Power fans, with dramatic showmanship comes a voice worth waiting for.

Brandon Marshall

9. ELLIE GOULDING @ OGDEN THEATRE | FRI, 2/1/13
For almost three years now, Ellie Goulding has been steadily taking over the airwaves. Whether it be vocal features on the hottest new EDM tracks, dominating on her own with singles from one of her two platinum albums or appearing on remixed tracks from the world's biggest producers, the Brit-pop starlet from the English countryside is continuing to make inroads and gain momentum.

8. TORO Y MOI @ BLUEBIRD THEATER | SAT, 2/23/13
Under the name Toro Y Moi, South Carolina's Chazwick Bundick creates music to chill to. Yes, his work often gets thrown under the obvious "chillwave" bus, but deep layers of vocals, guitar and drum-machine beats sound too smart for the flat genre, production-wise. This might be the secret to Bundick's sound; he's more producer than musician, and his 2010 debut full-length, Causers of This, rides like a dreamy throwback to the Phil Spector part of the '60s. Low and syrupy melodies are highlighted by Bundick's subtle R&B vocal sensibility, at times coming off like a synthesized sibling of chopped and screwed. Bundick is also the single man behind Les Sins, an Italo-disco alter ego project offering a glittery flipside to Toro Y Moi.

Britt Chester

7. DANNY BROWN @ CERVANTES' | SAT, 2/2/13
One of hip-hop's most distinctive (read: shrill) voices, Danny Brown ascended to the upper echelon of indie hip-hop following the success of his 2011 release, XXX. With a strong dose of humor and a stronger dose of psychedelics, the record got love from critics and fans alike for its absolute freshness. XXX might share unambiguous drug references with more mainstream hustler raps, but that's where the similarity ends. Far from being a new face in the game, the Detroit native had paid dues with mixtapes and albums, including collaborations with Black Milk and G-Unit's Tony Yayo, since 2007.

6. SNOWBALL MUSIC FESTIVAL @ WINTER PARK | 3/8-3/10

SnowBall Music Festival returns for a third year, and with a new location and a stacked lineup that will appeal to you whether you gravitate towards EDM (Pretty Lights, STS9, Porter Robinson, Big Gigantic, Datsik), indie rock (Surfer Blood, Japandroids, Polica) or hip-hop (Kendrick Lamar, Zion I), this one is shaping up to be the best yet. In the past, some have cheekily referred to this burgeoning mountain fest as "Snowchella," and that designation is not too far off.