Month: April 2013
Local Reviews: Oh, Be Clever
I’m pretty sure vocalist Brittney is actually Vanessa Carlton trying to make a comeback, and that’s okay. I admit I enjoy a mainstream pop song from time to time. “I’m Not Welcome Here and You’re a Mess” is pure catchy pop at it’s best—it‘s a shame it clocks in at just over two minutes. … read more
Local Reviews: Oliver Lemmon
Barring the fact that perplexion is not a real word, the rest of the title of this release bodes well for Lemmon, because I’m sure he thought this shit was solid gold when he made it—and sometimes confidence is key. I tried some fragrant local kush strains and thought, “Hey, maybe this guy is on to something.” Maybe he really is. … read more
Local Reviews: Sarge
This is not great. It’s not awful either, it’s just very generic hardcore punk, tinged with a bit of metal. It’s very loud and angry, but a few songs into it I still found myself yawning. … read more
Local Reviews: Tijuana Bible
Holy crap, this is really from Provo? And 2010? As boring and pussy-fied as the Salt Lake music scene can seem, Provo has it a lot worse, so hearing some ‘80s style hardcore coming from Happy Valley is pretty awesome. Tijuana Bible’s debut (which is only available on cassette) takes the simple fury of early Dischord bands, throws in the toughness and gang vocals of early New York hardcore and tops it all off with the thrashiness and humor of SoCal skate punk. … read more
Local Reviews: Various Artists
MSSV has been getting a lot of attention lately, and rightly so. The three artists that comprise the label, Nolens Volens, //, and Nonnon, have spent the last couple of years creating sonic freakouts of no-input tonal experiments, snarling, post-industrial noise and post-modern odes to booty-house (see last month’s SLUG cover article). … read more
Local Reviews: Melodramus
In the realm of modern prog metal/rock, Melodramus have crafted one epic and diverse aural buffet of sounds on their second full-length album, Two: Glass Apple. It’s truly a record that not only rivals plenty of prog bands in the current world scene, but also puts a good hunk of them to shame. … read more
Local Reviews: The Orbit Group
The Orbit Group have been making a name for themselves around Salt Lake City with their brand of funk / jazz / soul fusion. Orbit’s shows are an experience. They exhibit professional musicianship and cultivate crowd energy as few acts can. … read more
Local Reviews: Raw Xtract
I’ve never heard anything sound quite like this record by local poet and pianist Ami Hanna. There are moments of this scattered effort that are listenable as more conventional music, but the majority sounds like homework assignment poems read over amateur beats. … read more
Local Reviews: Reveeler
Ogden’s Reveeler has grown leaps and bounds since the 2008 demo I reviewed. Their short but potent EP gets rid of the garage rock qualities of the demo, giving them a more refined sound. The production is definitively precise and propels the tracks into their own unique realm of metal goodness. … read more
Local Reviews: Red Bennies
SLC stalwarts Red Bennies have never sounded pretty. Their fuzzed-out blues-based chord progressions sound eternally mangled and mashed out of a shitty bar P.A. David Payne’s strangled yelp often writes checks his vocal chords can’t cash. … read more