J. Wail
Lazers N Flowers
Independent
2.5 out of 5 stars
Denver’s club-funk glitch rocker J. Wail is right in the epicenter of the revolution of DJ-based dance sounds with live musical accompaniment. He’s played some big festival dates and shared the stage with folks from String Cheese Incident and Ween.
J. Wail has been getting strong notoriety as a live act, but on his third release, much of the energy is flat. The right buzzes, beeps and blips are there, as is occasional super-deep, room-rattling bass, but somehow, J. Wail fails to connect the dots in a way that illicits any truly emotional response. It builds at times, but rarely pays off with any umph.
:: J. Wail ::
:: Cervantes’ Masterpiece Ballroom :: February. 3 ::
Kathryn Mostow
Rich Girl
Independent
3 out of 5 stars
Rich Girl is a syrupy-sweet, ball of hope in the form of a CD.
Each note from Fort Collins-based singer/songwriter Kathryn Mostow absolutely overflows with bubbly optimism, even when she’s singing about sad things.
A previous finalist in the Rocky Mountain Folks Festival Songwriter Showcase, Mostow is on her third release with this effort.
It’s a great soundtrack for inspirational Hallmark moments, but the starry-eyed glee can be tough to take over 10 tracks.
:: Kathryn Mostow ::
:: The Walnut Room :: February 24 ::
Knowa Knowone
Champagne and Kittens
1320 Records and Street Ritual
4 out of 5 stars
Oakland based glitch-hop producer Knowa Knowone has combined two bitchin’ things, kittens and champagne for his latest release.
Furry, fizzy and bubbly, with cute little sharp teeth, you might get drunk, bitten, scratched, or if you’re lucky, all three. This album is a tribute to hedonism and booty shaking psychedelic crunk, in the original style of the innovative West Coast producer.
Fusing grime, hip-hop, dub and world music influences, Knowa Knowone strikes a common chord across many musical palettes, with a distinct and confident signature, silky smooth synth leads that are tastefully woven between heavy, minimalistic rhythm parts and bangin’ beats.
