Month: March 2013
Local Reviews: DulceSky
Locals DulceSky pack a “doubleplusgood” punch with these nine songs. Although they’ve played the Dark Arts Festival and the packaging is reminiscent of ‘90s industrial, this is straightforward indie rock with a dark, intelligent, politicized edge. Oliver Valenzuela’s guitars occasionally recall early U2, but his vocals are far darker, and at times almost Joy Division-morose. … read more
Local Reviews: Max Pain & The Groovies
Channeling the late ‘60s/early ‘70s groove that once fueled the Human Be-In and the Summer Of Love, Pain and company find a niche between the psychedelic and heavy rock for their own modern movement. The heavy guitar riffs echo out of every track like a continuous wave of reverb, bending and weaving without a break and are accompanied by a cool bass and drumbeat that keep pace throughout. … read more
Local Reviews: Creature Double Feature
Davis and Mason Johnson aren’t only brothers, but also are an example of today’s precocious youth—the kind that terrifies old people. Ground Zero is an impressive digital dream-pop effort, especially considering the bandmates are just 17 and 14 years old. … read more
Local Reviews: Euphoria Again
Euphoria Again is a minimalistic indie folk group whose music is comparable to a large, abstract art piece: It’s aesthetically engaging from afar, but observing it closer doesn’t bring any additional gratification. … read more
Local Reviews: Quiet The Titan
This is definitely a high school band, but if you take the pubescent-sounding vocals with a grain of salt, you’ve got the skeletons of a fairly impressive debut garage rock album. Using acoustic guitar intros, Weezer-ish bass progressions and youthful lyrics to their advantage, these teens manage some great jams that seem to be echoing the successful indie Provo/Velour scene. … read more
Local Reviews: John-Ross Boyce and His Troubles
Deliciously raw and gritty, Black Shuck/Old Crow is a really great album—a sort of stoner-gypsy-folk-rock mash-up. Wailing guitar riffs and rich, flowing vocals define the 14-song collection and, while the moods and tempos do vary, the album maintains a pretty consistent blues-based vibe that plucks at your heart-strings—kinda even tugs on your skin a little. … read more
Local Reviews: Matthew and The Hope
Matthew and The Hope wasn’t my kind of jam. Matthew claims to sound like Joshua James or Ray LaMontague, but I see his vocal styles as akin to back-of-the-throat singers from neo-grunge (think Scott Stapp or Gavin Rossdale). That being said, Matthew Bashaw has solid vocal skills, but the man needs someone to back him up if he is going to pull off the alternative country sound. … read more
Local Reviews: Michael Gross and The Statuettes
With a perfectly titled album, this rock outfit sonically takes you somewhere warm on the coast. Thanks to their mostly feel-good rhythms, electric guitar riffs and arena-style vocals, this is one of Salt Lake’s most widely appealing bands. … read more
Local Reviews: Mr. Richter
I’m all about the classic heavy metal revival. Mr. Richter join the mêlée of Utah’s virtuosic-vocal NWOBHM with their debut, six-song EP, where they find a good portion of their heavy metal niche with elegiac songs including opener “Mr. Richter,” which pounds along at a heavy, steady pace set by drummer Tyler Russell, along with chuggy guitars that blast in and out of dual harmony from both guitarists. … read more
Local Reviews: The New Electric Sound
Whether it was serendipity or just savvy marketing, the debut album from Provo-based surf-rockers The New Electric Sound has arrived just in time for summer. Generally speaking, the words “surf-rockers” and “Provo” don’t jive with one another, but this album just might change that. It’s the type of music that screams to be blasted out of topless convertibles cruising down the Pacific Coast Highway as the sun lazily sets over the horizon. … read more