Month: April 2013
Local Reviews: Burning Olympus
Words Taken From Books caught me off guard in a good way. These five songs are lustrous and captivating, with a spacey, dream-rock vibe and just enough grunginess. Vocalist Devin Powell is successfully emotive and visceral, while the band handles the rest with lo-fi texture and intriguing rock patterns. … read more
Local Reviews: Discoid A
Good god damn, this thing is fun! What started as an “acoustic D-beat” band has morphed into a full-blown loud machine. Recorded with one mic, this release encompasses an astounding 37 songs in 36 minutes, and it is one of the dirtiest punk rock recordings I’ve ever heard. … read more
Local Reviews: DJ Shanty
The master of the turntables for local hip hop legends The Numbs has not been idle since 2011’s Soulburn release. The production of Megatherium, an instrumental beat album, is halfway between classic video games, breakbeats and world music with buzzed-out bass behind tight snare and rich woodblock and tom drum hits. … read more
Local Reviews: Nick Foster
When I played the first track from Nick Foster’s Total Data, it seemed erratic, busy and slightly irritating—“Just Pick Yes” made me want to just say no. It has a mix of samples put together without fluidity that made me feel like my ears were being drilled by infomercials. I decided to give the album a second chance and listen to it with a completely open mind, so I smoked a doobie and pressed play. … read more
Local Reviews: Stark Raving Mad
I always vomit a little when bands pull that “Oh, we’re not like other bands” thing, so Stark Raving Mad, who tout a manifesto like “Easily Defined, Easily Defeated” and piece hunks of ska, Gainesvillle melodies and cowpunk into a raucous punk sound, should have me blowing bruschetta all over my damn room … but I’m not. You see, for all their musical deviations, they’re rooted pretty heavily in all things traditional. … read more
Local Reviews: Summerteeth
After putting out their EP How I Got in the Room last December, Summerteeth apparently made a quick trip back to the studio, as they released their second full-length album, Lurking Danger, this past February. … read more
Local Reviews: Uncle Scam
Despite parting ways with their rhythm section in late 2011, the remaining members of Uncle Scam pressed on as a duo, working with session musicians to put together this full-length album one track at a time. Compared to the rest of their catalogue, Fly Free actually takes some risks on the lyrical front, showing frontwoman Ischa B’s talent in hitting the vein of emotional wreckage. … read more
Local Reviews: Folk Hogan
It’s too easy to say Folk Hogan sound like Flogging Molly—they deserve more than that. Pub-belting tunes about whiskey, women and mythical men, Folk Hogan should be blasted at volume 11 by every cabby-hatted booze enthusiast in Utah. … read more
Local Reviews: Thunderfist
Since visiting my 8th-grade Career Day class 10 years ago, singer Jeremy Cardenas scream-sings just as viciously as in those initial Thunderfist recordings. But now, I’m more afraid he’ll beat me with an ugly stick, shrieking, “I’m all fucked up tonight!” in “Hit the Bottle Again.” With the addition of the prodigious Matt Miller, Thunderfist’s guitar dynamics are fleshed out in a kaleidoscopic way, balanced so that each guitar complements each other just enough, such as in the riffy “Back Down.” … read more
Local Reviews: Bullets & Belles
I have to say that this might be the best production of anything local I’ve ever heard, which would stand to reason, since while Bullets & Belles only formed last year, the members are all veteran musicians. This three-song EP is some damn catchy jazz pop, with stunning vocals, thoughtful lyrics and brilliant songwriting. … read more