Year: 2004
Local Review: Fail to Follow – Self-Titled
Fail to Follow Self-Titled FTF = AFI + Sick of It All (neutered) More punk than most hardcore bands that decided they were good enough musicians to show off, Fail to Follow is not unlistenable at all—mediocre, maybe, but definitely not unlistenable. The lyrics aren’t whiny and the vocals actually sound like they have
Local Review: Deadvolt – Self-titled
Deadvolt Self-titled As Dark As Light Deadvolt = Maynard + (early) Korn Deadvolt takes early, aggressive Flea bass, Tool moodiness, A Perfect Circle melodicism and just a tiny smudge of nu-metal to paint a canvas with a thick, brilliant whirlpool of midnight blue, royal purple, indigo, ebony and cobalt—i.e., blue, purple and black, like
Local Review: Drew Danburry – An Introduction to Sex Rock
Drew Danburry An Introduction to Sex Rock Mother Clucker Drew Danburry = Catcher in the Rye + Parker Sisters One could swear that Drew Danburry’s been having tea with local musician Paul Compton, swapping synth and cricket tips while demurely brushing crumpet crumbs from his lips. The outstanding An Introduction to Sex Rock, mastered
Local Review: De La Vega – Innovation
De la Vega Innovation Funk Factory Music De la Vega = MTV cover band A letter accompanying this album alerts those unaware in SLC that straight outta Idaho, De la Vega is coming our way. They note that their songs have been played on television quite a bit for shows like Blue Torch TV.
Local Review: Deliccato – Everyone Loves the Sun
Deliccato Everyone Loves the Sun Kitefishing Family Deliccato = (My Bloody Valentine + Broken Social Scene) x synthpop Creating a brand new sound in music is both difficult for artists and exciting for listeners. Piecing together a thousand tidbits of quirky randomness and melding them together to form a signature sound that is forever shifting
Local Review: Discourse – Self-Titled
Discourse Self-Titled Discourse = Every Time I Die + My Morning Jacket + whatever A band named Discourse and scenes of urban pandemonium on a jacket cover generally sway me to believe that the album I’m about to hear is probably going to be punk rock of some fashion—or at least something hardcore or possibly
Local Review: Dreno – Self-Titled
Dreno Self-Titled Dreno = God Forbid + Downset When Dreno’s got it, they got it. Unfortunately, they become confused every now and then and, apparently, due to a longing for originality in a saturated hardcore/metal market, stray from what they do best (ridiculously heavy riffs and guttural vocals) and incorporate things like spoken-word emo
Local Review: Drug – Self-titled
Drug Self-titled Drug = Dub Pistols + ‘Quette Daddie’s casio Eclectic hip-hop outfit Drug engages old-fashioned movie clips mix with rumba beats, disembodied vocal samples, heavy beats and trilling flute stuff. However, the production’s flat and dead, and the vocal effects sound like Chipmunks zombies. Maybe Drug S5 stole ‘Quette Daddie’s Casio? Good production
Local Review: Curious Birds – The Wheel Turns
CURIOUS BIRDS THE WHEEL TURNS Shapeshifting The Curious Birds = Stevie Nicks + Yanni Usually I don’t like neo-new age folksy acoustic stuff that mentions nature with every third breath and sings about “Persephone,” “midwinter,” “harvest time,” obscure pseudo-Celtic-Irish-Scottish mythological references and above all, a “crossroads” that is a doorway to another realm. However, like
Local Review: Born Free – Divine Madness
Born Free Divine Madness Born Free = John Brown’s Body + The Roots Born Free mixes hip-hop with reggae, rock, world music, techno and drum n’ bass, resulting in a diverse amalgamation that’s Jamaican first. Divine Madness is layered over with heavy electronic beats and gospel/spiritual sermonizing vocals. No slick mainstream 50 Cent here.