130 APRIL 4-10, 2024 westword.com WESTWORD | MUSIC & VENUES | FOOD & DRINK | ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT | SHOPPING & SERVICES | CONTENTS | wasn’t shut down to record their debut album, but that gave them plenty of time to write new material and recruit a new member in Tiana Thakur. Several years later, the new sound has been polished to a shimmering psychedelic gem. There are plenty of danceable rhythms woven into Little Trips’ trippy tapestry of imaginative indie dream pop, and the band welcomes you to the beach party inside your mind. Best Indie-Rock Album 3000 The Mañanas themananasband.com Indie power duo the Mañanas have been releasing music since 2020, dazzling audi- ences with concerts at venues such as Lost Lake Lounge and festivals like the Under- ground Music Showcase. Lead vocalist and principal songwriter Brandon Unpingco and bassist/producer Danny Pauta, founder and director of Soundbreaker Records, found common ground in their love of ’50s and ’60s rock, and took that sound to new heights with the Mañanas. Just take a listen to 3000, the full-length the two re- leased last May, which welds indie sonics with pop rock around positive lyrics. It’s the perfect album to cheer you up when you’re down or lift your happiness even further, and hearing it live is an experience you won’t want to miss. Best Shoegaze Album Kept Corsicana corsicanamusic.bandcamp.com There is something so comforting about shoegaze music — slow and melodic, with soft vocals and sometimes sweet, sometimes morose (but realistic) lyricism. You’ll fi nd it all on Kept, the latest project from indie dream-pop outfit Corsicana, which re- leased the album single by single. If you’re a fan of Death Cab for Cutie or the Shins, Corsicana is the band for you. Ben Pisano started the project in 2015 as a vehicle for his songwriting, and he’s joined by bassist and synth player Jordan Leone, drummer Sumner Erhard and guitarist Nicki Walters. The album is soothing and heavenly, perfect for when you’re crying your eyes out, feel- ing nostalgic or living one of the happiest moments of your life. Watch out, Bon Iver. Best Soothing Album Underbelly Kiltro kiltromusic.com Kiltro took its name from quiltro, the Span- ish word for street dog, and as founder Chris Bowers-Castillo suggests, the band blends together varied sounds similar to the way street dogs in his native Chile fi nd help from many community members. The local outfi t has become known for its Chil- ean folk sound infused with indie, synth and world music — sonics completely unique to Kiltro. On the band’s 2023 al- bum, Underbelly, the lyricism is incredibly poetic, giving the mind no choice but to fuse with iridescent scenery and fall into a dreamy prism of mystical energy. Cascad- ing, layered synth, drums, bass and other unidentifi able, ambient sounds create an otherworldly effect, transporting listeners to an entirely new world. Best Band to Listen to After a Day on the Slopes Shady Oaks shadyoaksband.com The psychedelic blues rock of Shady Oaks is the perfect accompaniment for drinking a beer at a cozy tavern after a day of skiing or snowboarding. The fi ve-piece, complete with a five-string electric violinist, also doesn’t shy away from country infl ections that, along with rock and Western infl u- ences, make the band’s sound uniquely Coloradan. It’s just what you need after a long day on the slopes...especially if you’re sitting in traffi c on I-70. The group’s lat- est singles are sure to quell any simmering road rage. Best Psychedelic Surf Rock The Crooked Rugs thecrookedrugs.com The Crooked Rugs have been rocking out of Fort Collins since 2019, and each of the band’s releases has shown an ability to dip into varied genre pools while maintaining a cohesive sound. Whereas 2022’s Tales of the Great Western Sky added Western ele- ments to its psych rock, the group dabbled in shoegaze and prog rock for Metropolis, which was released last March and takes listeners on a winding psychedelic jour- ney they won’t want to end. Crooked Rugs shows are just as amazing: The band plays in Denver often, and will be taking to the road this year to spread its acid-tinged son- ics far and wide. Best Music for Mountain Toking In Plain Air @inplainairband In Plain Air is a three-piece psychedelic- rock band that began releasing music in 2022. It’s just the thing to listen to when you’re getting a little high…and you’re al- ready up high. The band’s 2023 EP, Sun- nyside, is a musical blend of dreamy guitar riffs that could easily send you into an al- ternate dimension (in a good way) when paired with the right strain. When your brain’s buzzing, you want to avoid anything that might send you too far over the edge, but Plain Air’s sonic sweet spot is sure to keep you in check. Best Psychedelic Latin Music Ritmo Cascabel ritmocascabel.bandcamp.com Ritmo Cascabel has blown us away with raucous concerts in which every audi- ence member is absolutely immersed in the band’s blend of psychedelic rock and cumbia. It’s a sound unique to the fi ve- piece, and it came from studying chicha, a Peruvian form of cumbia that began in the ’60s and meshes cumbia, Andean music and vals criollo with surf and psych rock. Having formed just before the pandemic, Ritmo Cascabel released its Ritmo EP in 2022, but the band fully realized its sound on its self-titled debut album, released last August. Just one listen and you’ll know it’s a band you have to see live. Best Family Affair iZCALLi and EL CRO izcallirock.com facebook.com/el-cro-rock-band Ever wonder why local Latin bands iZ- CALLi and EL CRO are often on the same bill? Both bands put on energetic, enter- taining shows — EL CRO dishing out its “rock mexicano hecho en Denver” (“Mexi- can rock made in Denver”) and iZCALLi putting on fi ery performances fi lled with everything from time-traveling fuzz rock to bilingual ballads — but there’s more to the story than that. EL CRO happens to be headed up by the father of Miguel and Brenda Aviña, the guitar-wielding siblings at the heart of iZCALLi. This family makes beautiful music together, and Denver mu- sic fans are the lucky recipients of its well- honed talents. Catch iZCALLi and EL CRO together again at Levitt Pavilion on June 7. Best Pop Musician Grace DeVine Dreamy and ethereal, Grace DeVine is Den- ver pop royalty. But don’t be fooled by her catchy hooks and addictive, layered beats: The artist’s lyrics are earnest, sometimes heavy, and confront the highs and lows of life with intentionality and creativity. DeVine released the EP Taste of Heaven last September with a concert at Globe Hall, and her pipes were just as heavenly in person as they are through headphones. Denver has a true lyrical genius in Grace DeVine, and we can’t wait to see what she puts out this year. Best Funky Disco Concerts Boogie Lights & the Boogie Bunch boogielightsmusic.com If you haven’t caught Boogie Lights, you’re missing out. Mark Henrichs brings together the worlds of funk and disco with his proj- ect, and now his collaborators are along for the ride in the Boogie Bunch, which includes vocalists Abi Clark and Mandy Haupt, rapper/singer Andrew Leerson (aka Deezy Le Phunk), Ricky Feria (aka Rix) on guitar, Dan Chando on keys, Ty Martinez on sax, Kylee Lund on trumpet and Melissa Joy on violin. They debuted with a sold-out show at Globe Hall last March and released The Boogie Bunch in October. The Boogie Lights sound is intoxicating, and while you’ll be listening to it constantly through your headphones, there’s nothing like hear- ing it live while dancing the night away. Best Sexy, Jazzy Electronic Music The Orchestrator theorchestratormusic.com Brandon Theis started his multi-instru- mental project the Orchestrator from the ground up, teaching himself how to play saxophone and mix and master his tunes — which also include him on guitar, drums and keys. Since 2021, he’s released dozens of singles and an EP, with “Jazz Wobbles” racking up more than a million streams on Spotify and his song “Alissa,” named for his wife, hitting number one on the iTunes jazz charts. He’s sold out multiple venues and even had Afroman as an opener at the Summit in January. The music is funky yet soothing, head-bob-inducing and fl ush with sexy trills from the sax balanced by beats that go from oozy and dub-inspired to hip-hop-adjacent. Best Metal EDM Artist Rod Wess rodwess.com Denver loves itself some metal and EDM. Both scenes continue to thrive throughout Music and Venues continued from page 129 GETT Y IMAGES/ ARDEA A
