These men are too hideous to show their faces.
If you’re looking for absolutely legal, absolutely free downloads from the area’s best bands, you’ve come to the right place. Don’t miss Steal This Track every Tuesday, right here on REVERB. This is THE spot to learn more about Denver’s hottest and most interesting musical acts. And this column is more than just talk — we give you the chance to actually HEAR the best in local music.
This week’s tasty treat comes to us from , a husband-wife duo that emerged just recently from the wildly creative, defiantly bizarre scene of artists and performers who congregate around , a residential warehouse that also hosts art shows and live music.
While you’ll occasionally find Ryan McRyhew twiddling knobs with the improvisational outfit , he’s probably best known to followers of local music as one half of . The noisy, eight-bit experimental duo has earned a reputation for its electric live shows, dense compositions and occasional forays into brainy danceability. Unfortunately, it looks like that act might be hanging up its Gameboys as Nicholas Houde (the other half) relocates to like-minded Baltimore. Fortunately, that might free up McRyhew to focus — along with his wife, Kristi Schaefer — on Hideous Men.
The pair have just finished recording their debut EP and shooting their first music video, and they’re coming out of the gate strong. Experimental music combining hip-hop samples, “Tron”-era electronic blips, and nearly inaudible female vocals might not be for everyone, but “Dream Scene” casts a spell with its strange beauty. A dubstep tempo and a percolating lead anchor a textured composition that is simultaneously glitchy and atmospheric.
Then, just over two minutes into the song’s five-minute duration, chopped-up samples from Atlanta crunksters Crime Mob interrupt the groove and the whole vibe changes. As the track progresses, the samples become less coherent and the music less structured, until the whole beautiful, hideous mess devolves into a twitching, bleating heap.
Fans of experimental music might take to this recording more readily, but we encourage everyone to listen to this one a few times. With each listen, new sounds rise to the surface and new details emerge. Open your mind, steal this track, and then catch Hideous Men this Friday at the Catacombs in Boulder or next Thursday at the Meadowlark in Denver.
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If you’re a band or musician ready to unleash some fresh sounds on the readers of Reverb, email your tracks to Eryc Eyl for consideration.
Please note that downloads offered via Steal This Track are intended to whet your appetite, and are NOT CD-quality recordings. If you want those, please support the artists by buying their music and/or seeing them live.
Eryc Eyl is a veteran music journalist, critic and Colorado native who has been neck-deep in local music for many years. Check out Steal This Track every Tuesday for local music you can HEAR, and the Mile High Makeout every Friday.
