Month: April 2013
Local Reviews: Ben Johnson
Oh my! I don’t know what I was expecting with this CD … actually, I thought it was going to be second-rate, diluted folk music; something about the calligraphy font on the front cover. But the album opens up with a big, classy, big band-era sounding rock extravaganza and goes on from there to 40s and 50s crooner hits with “fun” pschedelia thrown in (think Flaming Lips, not Jefferson Airplane). … read more
Local Reviews: Die Monster Die
Die Monster Die has truly become a staple of Salt Lake’s underground scene. They play on a fairly regular basis and release a record every now and then. Their metal-laden horror punk is fun and creepy, but they’ve never really stepped above the regular horror punk sludge that inhabits the music collection of anyone who wishes there were more Misfits’ records. … read more
Local Reviews: Dirty Uncle Davey
Dirty Uncle Davey is all you could expect from a synth-based noise band, long droney tracks of feedback and mysterious sounding tones meandering through dimensionless matter. What is great about this release and most really good noise music is that it steps into your subconscious and plays a few tricks on you, the biggest being that of time confusion. … read more
Local Reviews: Invaders
It’s not very often I’ll get a tasty treat of chunky doom from our local bands, but holy shit, Invaders has nailed it. This humble little EP pounds three songs of heaviness into your pink, supple little ear drums without regard for whether or not you like them. As DIY as the release appears, the production is extremely high quality without much feeling of intrusive digital polish, which can often sacrifice that sweet atmospheric buzz you feel in the back of your throat. … read more
Local Reviews: Mushman
If I didn’t already, now I certainly feel like a child. There must be a secret to make an album friendly and inviting, and Mushman’s got the ingredients. Step 1: Start off with lovely acoustic guitars. Step 2: Add in a clarinet, harmonica and some keys. Step 3: Mix gently with sweet melodies and vocals, and last, but not least, Step 4: The “special” sauce, a local twist. … read more
Local Reviews: Cavedoll
Cavedoll carelessly litter genres new wave, post punk, IDM, industrial, 70s glam, ethereal, darkwave, indie, trip-hop and avant-garde pop throughout their music without claiming allegiance to anything beyond their own musings. They’re a writer’s nightmare in their refusal to sit still long enough to be described; a detail further emphasized when the band decides to unleash its complete collection of unreleased material all at once. … read more
Local Reviews: Dacho
I have much love for Dacho. Chief and Doc are probably the two nicest, most chill individuals you will ever meet. This seven-song album marks a proper studio release from the band and, although the production quality lacks a little, the two wonder twins straight-up do work on the music on this album. The musicianship here is exceptional. … read more
Local Reviews: Danger Hailstorm
I wish I could say that all local bands suck and that Utah doesn’t have any talent (you know, for national “street cred”), but when bands like Danger Hailstorm drop in my lap I can’t pretend anymore. This three-piece can gnash its teeth. … read more
Local Reviews: Erratic Erotica
This album is like the opening of a dimly lit film reel, starring one finetuned band that could morph into two separate perfomances, much like the theatrics in Xanadu. Playing is melodically haunting vaudeville like the Dresden Dolls, yet more emotionally frantic and energetic like Gogol Bordello. … read more
Local Reviews: The Furs
No need to worry PETA, The Furs aren’t out to collect helpless animals, but they could be turning Salt Lake into the next Haight-Ashbury. Although our hippies reside mainly at the Sunday drum circle, we have been getting a healthy dose of local psychedelic music. … read more