​Boulder-based musician Michael Garfield is offering a free download of Daylighting, an EP of acoustic guitar and effects improvisations. Don't jump to conclusions based on "acoustic guitar improv" though -- this sounds more like some of the sonic explorations that came out of the Robert Fripp/Brian Eno collaborations than some hippie "jamming" on an acoustic in a park somewhere. It was recorded live at this years MAPS Psychedelic Science in the 21st Century Conference, which should give you some idea of what you're in for (spoiler: it's real trippy).

More >>

​Just how prolific is Zachary Tipton of I Am the Dot/Young Coyotes? How about so prolific he can stop by a friend's house in the middle of a move across country and "unexpectedly" record and release a cool new song with them? That's the story behind "Good Person," a brand-new tune from Night Beds featuring I Am the Dot.

More >>

​

In case you haven't heard, Erykah Badu's in town tonight at the Fillmore with Janelle Monáe, whom we caught at Red Rocks this past weekend with MGMT. Not only do we have tickets to the show tonight, but they're part of a rad prize pack that includes a T-shirt, two CDs, stickers and -- for whatever reason -- your very own Munny and mini Munny. Would you and a guest like to be our guests at tonight's show? Drop us a line with your full name and contact info, and we'll pick a winner this afternoon.

Update: Congrats to Matthew Masterson. He and a guest will be our guest this evening at the show. And thanks everybody else for all the entries.

​On his latest release Cosmic, local producer/DJ Zeno fuses the spacey, out-of-this-world ambiance of "cosmic music" with the gritty, bass-heavy rumblings of dubstep to excellent effect. The nine-track album (six originals, three remixes) is available for free, meaning if you you've been curious about Zeno, or just looking for some new tunes, today is your lucky day.

The album opens with "Cosmic Journey," the appropriately named quasi-title track. It kicks off the album with a run of arpeggiated synths and Carl Sagan samples (well, we think it's Sagan) that quickly wraps itself around a more familiar dubstep beat-and-squelch skeleton. It's a great opening that sets the stage beautifully for what's to come.

More >>

​

Got your tickets to the Showcase yet? Yes? Nice work. Don't have your tickets yet? No worries. There's still time to get yours, and here's another reason to pick 'em up now -- well, aside from the fact that they're still just fifteen bucks: Friday night, we're throwing another pre-party. This one's at the Bluebird with the Giraffes, Snake Rattle Rattle Snake and Black Lamb.

If you're a Showcase ticket holder, we've got your tickets. The first 400 people who stop by our office between now and Thursday from 8 a.m - 5 p.m. with a Showcase ticket confirmation and say "Giraffes" will get a comp ticket. (FYI: There is a limited capacity at the Bluebird, so show up early. Once it's at capacity, that's it. Comp tickets don't guarantee admission once it's sold out.)

​On the just-released Battle Talk Volume 1, four Denver DJs have joined forces to create one big mix that blends dubstep's whomp, atmosphere and production style with hip-hop, turntablism and funk. The mix is a showcase for the talent of Ale Fillman, Odeed, Chewie and Zeno, not to mention an object lesson in how well dubstep's booming low end and dub-derived electronic manipulations work with hip-hop.

As they explain on the website, "The goal of this project is to successfully blend the styles from all 4 DJs to form one mix. Turntablism, Technics, Laptops, Ableton Live, Serato Scratch, a QFO and some serious sample digging were used to put together this mix for your musical pleasure." You can judge for yourself how well they succeed at that goal. You can download the mix for free (right click and choose "Save As"), or hit the jump to listen via an embedded player. Full track listing is available at BattleTalk.net.

More >>

In the last few days we've been assaulted with tons of freeloader stuff, from singles to album previews to full blown EPs. Needless to say, we've had a hard time keeping up with it all, which is why we've decided to just gather up a few of our favorites in one post. The above clip is from Trent Reznor and Mariqeen Maandig's newest band, How To Destroy Angels. The full EP is available for the cost of an email address, which you can sell off here. It sounds exactly like what you'd expect from these two -- slightly emotionally disturbing, jangly, wobbly and creepy -- all of which get summed up pretty well with the video clip above.

But that's not all; follow the jump for a bunch more.

More >>

Tobin Voggesser

​

Got your tickets to the Westword Music Showcase yet? Yeah? Nice work! Here's some news just for you: We're throwing a very special VIP pre-party just before the Showcase on Thursday, June 17, featuring BoomBox, who will be playing a private DJ set, Ginger Perry and Peter Black. If you've got tickets, you're eligible to win. All you need to do is register. Don't have your tickets yet? No worries. They're still available for the insanely low price of $15. Oh and did we mention that we're hosting a VIP reception with food and drinks before and the BoomBox dudes before the gig, and if happen we pick you, you'll be invited to that, as well? No? Well, we are, and you will be. Good luck!

​ Matador Records has always been a top-notch label in our book -- but giving us stuff for free? That's the real way to win our hearts. Yesterday the label kicked off the release of Kurt Vile's newest EP, Square Shells by offering it for free for 24 hours. Now that was at 11:21 a.m. EST, which means you'd better get on it and grab it while you still can.

More >>

Earlier this month, with very little fanfare, SP Double, one of the area's more promising MCs, picked up stakes and headed for the notably sunnier confines of South Florida. The move comes just as SP -- who just inked a deal with Digital Dollar, an independent imprint from the Sunshine State with major distro -- appears to be on the verge of at least a minor breakthrough and perhaps more.

More >>