This week features a weird jumble of tunes. From a super catchy indie-pop record to two great local releases, we are really mixing things up this week, so let’s just get into it.
Cuckoo, formerly knows as Coo Coo Bad Brains, is a Boulder/Denver-based indie pop-rock, slow-core trio that just released its latest album “Big” on the local First Base Tapes label. For the most part, “Big” is melancholy, sedated and a little off-kilter, sounding like something in between Duster, Galaxie 500 and Pavement. Tracks like “Colony Park,” “Cover Girl” and “Leg Day” are my favorites because they highlight the balance this record keeps between the fuzzy and the pretty. Interlaced between the pretty moments are the weirder, tenser moments that have a bouncy unevenness. These two elements contrast really well against each other to create an album that maintains a cohesive sound while still offering some surprises. If you’re into contemporary lo-fi rock like Alex G or Peaer, you should look up Cuckoo on Bandcamp.
“A Kaleidoscope of Butterflies” by Denver’s Wrinkle is a collage of different sounds like the title suggests. It has several things going on, and it all works really well. This record offers a refreshing variety — it kicks off with “Ice Cream Shop,” a tame and melodic pop song, then quickly launches into tracks like “Brighter,” which brings an awesome ’90s rock-pop feeling. Wrinkle gives us some true bangers as well as really nice indie-pop tracks. There’s something for everyone here: It’s at times fun and energetic and other times thoughtful and calming. This is another record to come out on First Base Tapes and features tons of talented Denver creatives in the lineup. Give it a listen!
As open-minded as I try to be when it comes to new music, I wasn’t expecting to like Superorganism. While their stuff is crammed full of weirdo interludes and accents, their self-titled debut is an electropop record as far as I’m concerned but an exceedingly good one. Superorganism crafts broken pop music — it’s dancey and catchy beyond belief, however they lack a certain effort that pop music clearly has. The vocals are casual and carefree; they sound perfectly in tune yet not at all beautiful but rather normal. They interrupt the most important escalations of their songs to throw in random spoken segments and tend to sample organic, found sounds quite often. Certain moments in this record remind me of the brightly colored, indie haziness of groups like MGMT, poppier Deerhoof and even Animal Collective, while others remind me of “Warrior”-era Kesha. If you don’t typically listen to contemporary pop music, this record may really hook you or let you down as much as other pop music may have. I’m under the belief that Superorganism is doing something completely new, influential and generally fun. If you’re on the lookout for an acid-tinged pop trip, you’ll probably dig this. Check out their music videos as well.
By Jolie Klefeker