Year: 2012
Crystal Castles: Catharsis Incarnate
Crystal Castles came out of nowhere. The music alternates between despondent and fierce, often finding a middle ground between the two. Lead singer Alice Glass growls and shrieks over Ethan Kath’s instrumentals (which are generally somewhere between 8-bit Nintendo music and a car commercial), and the result is incredible. The live show is tempestuous and infinitely stimulating—imagine Iggy Pop as the hypeman at a Justice show. They strive for abrasive and bleak, but neither is overdone. … read more
Go With the Flow: Tyson Bowerbank
Having first set foot on a skateboard at the age of 8, Tyson Bowerbank is a prime example of the up-and-coming. With a resume including Fuel TV, ESPN and a repertoire of high-profile amateur contest finals, Bowerbank has some pretty high credentials. Now, at the age of 18, Bowerbank is a solid, humble skater who just loves being on a skateboard. With a bag of tricks that most kids only have behind an Xbox controller, this baby-faced Sandy native is on a tear of a come-up and shows no signs of slowing down. … read more
Top 5 of 2012
Whether you’re a Pitchfork diehard or a Metalsucks connoisseur, there’s no doubt that some drool-worthy albums hit the sound waves this year! Take in SLUG contributors’ Top Five albums to make sure you didn’t miss a beat from the rad releases of 2012 … read more
SLUG Holiday Comix: My Racially Insensitive Halloween
When I was a kid, I never dressed up as anything scary for Halloween. Instead, I dressed as whatever pop culture icon I was obsessed with. The best Halloween was when I dressed up as Dennis Rodman. … read more
Top 5: Atom Age
The second full-length album from this Berkeley, Calif. quintet blows the doors right open with “Dig the Future,” blistering with punk rock fury and garage rock swagger. Brendan Frye’s sax is easily the standout element of The Atom Age’s sound, as he gives an extra gallon of rocket fuel to the band’s already frantically fast numbers , but is an equally effective attitude enhancer in slower songs. … read more
Top 5: Baby Ghosts
Baby Ghosts are one of those surprise bands who were kind of overlooked when they arrived in 2010, but slowly grew on audiences as they got around and played all-ages gigs in Provo and Salt Lake City. The aggressive pop-punk rockers are one of those groups that, quite frankly, we may not deserve yet in the music scene. … read more
Roger That: Michael Sieben Talks Art and Skateboards
Austin-based artist Michael Sieben may not be a household name, but his art has been seen by skateboarders, art aficionados and mall-walkers for close to a decade, even if people haven’t been able to match the name with the artist. Sieben will be one of more than 20 artists submitting pieces to Salt Lake City’s own FICE for their All Dead art show, being displayed on Friday, Nov. 2. Sieben was awesome enough to talk to SLUG about his influences, past galleries and skateboard company, Roger Skateboards. … read more
Top 5: Crystal Castles
Ethan Kath begins with a heart-heavy siren—your chest caves as your ears ache to understand what is coming. You feel yourself stepping onto a spaceship, and, before you know it, you are counting down, beat by beat, three, two, one … blastoff. Vocalist Alice Glass’s signature, scathing voice yells, “I am the plague,” and you succumb to the darkness that they breathe. … read more
Top 5: Eagle Twin
The fable of the crow continues in this year’s release, The Feather Tipped the Serpent’s Scale. Guitarist and vocalist Gentry Densely is a master storyteller, guiding listeners through his dark, mythical narrative with low, throaty vocals. On some tracks, he sings the part of the narrator, while in others, he sings in first person, detailing Crow’s battle against the sun and Crow’s metamorphosis into a snake … read more
Busting Out the Lowcard
In 2002, while playing lottery tickets, zine maker and skater Rob Collinson’s slap-happy pamphlets would unofficially become a mag. Ironically enough, the name for Lowcard came to Collinson while he was scratching away on a lotto ticket titled “High Card.” The object of the ticket was to reveal the highest card and win some cash-ola. However, Collinson confesses that, “I always got low cards on the tickets.” … read more