Queens of the Stone Age comes as close as one could get to calling something this dark “beautiful.” The band’s music is heavy, the chord changes are menacing, the melodies are near-demonic, but the music takes detours, winding through codas of daylight. Sure the band started out with a thrash focus, but deep down there has always been a desire hidden in the music to experiment melodically. This softness has evolved in Queens of the Stone Age’s later albums — especially 2013’s “… Like Clockwork.” Backed by his latest cast of thoroughbred musicians, frontman Josh Homme brings his examination on the limits of thrash and sex-rock to Red Rocks Amphitheatre on Thursday.
If Neil Young could have grown up in the post-grunge world, he might have been Kurt Vile. Think of the guitar poet persona embodied by a guy who was shaped by Pavement and watched the decline of MTV. Now you have Kurt Vile. Today, that type of artist settles in the lo-fi garage rock that Vile is known for. On his most recent release, “Walkin on a Pretty Daze,” he’s stepped a little bit more into the mainstream with his most accessible work yet — a guitar-focused record of introspection. He brings this sound with his band the Violators to the Bluebird Theater on Thursday.
Matt Miller: mrmiller@denverpost.com
