Writing today to mark this down as the day I start Ginkgo B to combat my explosive ADD. Quite honestly, I’m just sick and tired of daydreaming at work and then realizing I’ve been staring at my monitor without having accomplished anything. Or walking across my house to complete a task and upon entering the next room forgetting what it was. Or going a week without crossing a single thing off my to-do list because I spent all of my time before work on the computer and time got away from me. It stops now.

Not expecting this to be some miracle drug by a long shot, but if it gets me focused on getting things done then all the better. I just hope we’ve advanced past 10 years ago, when all those people took Effexor and went on killing sprees.

Bright Channel
[From] Louisville, Colo.
[Active] 2003-2007
[RIYL] The Jesus and Mary Chain, Joy Division
[Seen live?] Once in Denver, August 2007 @ Larimer Lounge

Bright Channel - s/t

Legends. BC were Mark II of the Jeff Suthers/Shannon Stein space rocking power trio Volplane, revamped for the new millennium with drummer Brian Banks. Their self-titled release and 2006′s Self-Propelled explored soundscapes that put you in a rocket across the southwestern desert with crunchy, plodding riffs atop Banks’ tribal drumming. And they were a mother live. I only got to see them once, planning a southwestern road trip of my own around getting to see their show in Denver. Later that month they opened for The Fray at Red Rocks. By the end of August they went on indefinite hiatus and never recorded or played live again.

The tracks from the two BC releases form my playlist for driving US 64/87 across the Raton-Clayton volcanic field in extreme northeastern New Mexico. It’s a perfect fit and putting a setting to the band’s repertoire makes me appreciate their time making music on a greater level because of my love for driving through that part of the country. Though they are no more, Jeff and Shannon are still active musically in Denver as part of the aforementioned Moonspeed. In addition, Jeff has started a project called Treeverb which is very reminiscent of Bright Channel; a trio he formed with other members of Denver’s innovative cradle of space and psychedelic-influenced bands.

But I haven’t been there in a while, so it’ll be worth it. Better brush up on the maps.

Colder
[From] Paris, France
[Active] 2003-2006
[RIYL] Ladytron, Joy Division
[Seen live?] No

Colder - Heat

Colder is Marc Nguyen Tan’s new wave rock project. Marc likely did not have career musician in his plans, as he only released two albums in the middle of the decade with limited touring and hasn’t resurfaced since. But he’s good at it, even if there isn’t much sonic variety to be found among his catalogue. AC/DC made a 35-year career of that and it worked out pretty well for them.

The bass tracks on Heat are every bit as forward as they were on Colder’s freshman release Again, but with a less muddy quality that takes the dub effect he was going for earlier and transforms it more into a post-punk and krautrock thing. Yes, 20 seconds of listening to opening track “Wrong Baby” and you’ll swear it was a re-work of Joy Division’s “She’s Lost Control.” Not a bad thing, again, if it’s still good (and it’s outstanding). Marc strikes me as someone who listens to Brian Eno’s Before and After Science on vinyl as he smokes on the patio of his downtown Paris high rise. Plenty of background ambiance scattered throughout the album with strong performances by the electronics and rock instrumentation. Other highlights include plodding electropop jam “On My Mind,” with sultry (and sexy) vocal growlings, plus amazing nighttime groove “To The Music” and “Tonight” — which shows Colder still has some dub up its sleeve.

From YouTube videos that show Colder as a full band, it’s clear the cult following would turn out were they to try their hand at a tour again. But as that’s not bloody likely, enjoy this album for what it provides: Rocking club anthems, even if that club only exists in your head.

Annie
[From] Bergen, Norway
[Active] 1999-present
[RIYL] early 80s Madonna, Saint Etienne
[Seen live?] No

Annie - Anniemal

Scandinavian songstress Annie debuted her phenomenal full length by packing it full of upbeat, poppy disco tracks reminiscent of the best of early 90s mainstream eurodance and, yes, plenty of Madonna vibes. One of her singles off the album, “Greatest Hit,” is essentially a musical sample of Ms. Ciccone’s “Everybody.” Annie followed up her rookie effort recently with Don’t Stop, which doesn’t show any signs of a sophomore slump yet her insatiable desire to imitate Madonna in image as well as music should be a bit off-putting to fans who believe her work is strong enough to stand on its own without gimmicks. And if you’re reading me for the answer to that, it certainly is.

Considering the school I root for in athletics (the Colorado Buffaloes- sorry, Texans) gets their clocks cleaned regularly in any sport that isn’t cross country or skiing, I am fortunate enough to have lived in the Big 12 footprint my entire life and at least been able to see some quality college athletic programs on television and in person. And though I’m a huge fan of Dr. Pepper, the city of Waco hasn’t exactly captured my heart. My good memories of the city begin and end with the Baylor campus, where I spent one Saturday for three consecutive years in high school winning German contests left and right (2003 State Champ – Where’s my letter jacket?). It’s actually a pretty decent looking campus. As is Tech’s. And A&M’s. Texas fans, start a football rivalry with UTSA so your campus appearance-bashing will be accurate.

But of the basketball program. New fans and non-fans of the sport aside, we remember what happened in the summer of 2003 that gave perennial hoops midcarder Baylor a reason to be talked about in the national media. In very sketchily detailed accounts, BU players Patrick Dennehy and Carlton Dotson got into some kind of spat, and Dennehy was shot and killed. The ensuing investigation uncovered improprieties on the part of head coach Dave Bliss who resigned soonafter. While the NCAA was dwelling on how to deal with the massive scandal, the Baylor administration imposed sanctions on their own program.

The roster was gutted. Lawrence Roberts (Mississippi State), John Lucas (Oklahoma State) and Kenny Taylor (Texas) transferred to other (very good) Division I basketball schools and became instrumental in their teams’ successes in the following years. BU hired 1-year head coaching veteran Scott Drew to clean up the mess and turn their basketball team into a contender.

It took several years for anyone outside of the Ferrell Center to believe in the Baylor Bears. With each recruiting class, Drew somehow managed to find young men committed to playing in his system, sharing his vision of a team that would become the class of Baylor athletics. Drew and his staff began a blitz of Texas high school programs, offering players overlooked by the major programs in the region who otherwise may have ventured to WAC or Conference USA schools in Texas or bordering states. Add a few Junior College transfers for a more seasoned look on the roster and Scott (son of 30+ year college coach Homer Drew) proceeded to coach them up to the top half of the Big 12. Winning records in the last three seasons with an NCAA invitation and one NIT bid, and with a sure second NCAA selection to come this weekend.

To any sports fan able to watch a Baylor game on TV: Pay attention to any interview of Coach Drew, especially postgame following a win. The man’s enthusiasm and passion for his program is unparalleled. It’s the story of the underdog clawing its way to the top. And barring a matchup with (my other team) the Aggies, it’s a story that will have me rooting for the green and gold every game the rest of the way.

The Photo Atlas
[From] Denver, Colo.
[Active] 2003-present
[RIYL] At the Drive In, Les Savy Fav
[Seen live?] Too many times to count (to date: in Austin, Phoenix & Denver)

The Photo Atlas - To Silently Provoke the Ghost

Didn’t want to double up on artists in the top 20 list, but The Photo Atlas’ first full-length No, Not Me, Never belongs as one of the decade’s best as well. TSPTG is a five-song EP released to spell fans hungry for new recorded material but holds up as well as a true album. Not a weak song in the lot, and the sound marks the band at a more mature, polished point in their hopefully still young careers. The signature Atlas sound is still there; the short, punchy rhythms and vocals delivered as if in a race to beat a ticking time bomb to the end. But for all its brevity the abbreviated disc doesn’t seem rushed. The band built their reputation on a yeoman’s touring schedule and got back in the studio when they were good and ready to cultivate something with staying power. And succeeded.

San Serac
[From] Ten Hills, Mass.
[Active] Early 2000s-present
[RIYL] Morgan Geist, Bernard Fevre, Chromeo
[Seen live?] 2 (2008 @ SXSW, 2008 on tour in Austin)

San Serac - Ice Age

Very dark disco release by the one man wrecking crew of insane old school beats. San Serac spins tales of international intrigue while backing each track with electronics that thump like mid-80s R&B (“What Price Revenge?”) or flow smoothly like a Harmonia/Conny Plank production (“Sunlight In Electric Trees,” “Station Mornings”). Would love to have him revisit these sounds or at least bring anything off this album back into his live setlist.

Moonspeed
[From] Denver, Colo.
[Active] In their present incarnation, roughly 2008-present
[RIYL] Anything on the Flight Approved label, NASA
[Seen live?] 3 (All in Denver. As of press time, third show was a few hours ago @ Hi-Dive.)

Moonspeed - Flowers of the Moon

Everything Jeff Suthers touches turns to fucking gold. From the early space-rocking days of Volplane and Bright Channel to the atmospheric and moody Pteranodon, to his current projects Treeverb and Orbiteer, Jeff writes and performs the ideal soundtrack for a road trip through the wilderness under a bed of drifting clouds or constellations, whether the project is spearheaded by him alone, his partner in music and with Flight Approved Records, Shannon, or with half a dozen additional musicians that read like a Who’s Who of Denver’s indie rock scene from the early 2000s through today. Moonspeed’s rare live show involves nine accomplished artists collaborating to replicate the exact synergy they exhibit on their to date only studio release. If nine personal schedules could sync with each other enough for an extended tour outside the Centennial State they would be turning so many more heads.