Local Reviews: JRapp

Local Reviews: JRapp
By

Jon Rappaport’s debut EP is a rhythmic, warmly melodic, complexly layered record that really shows off his skills as a producer. It’s evident that he has great instincts for composition from the fact that each track becomes a journey, bringing the listener along.  … read more

Local Reviews: Katherine Nelson

Local Reviews: Katherine Nelson
By

Born Brave is Katherine Nelson’s first album, and it is a really fucking beautiful debut. She’s had plenty of experience to build on, having performed with The Nashville Tribute Band, among others, as well as having some acting experience playing Emma Smith in several films involving the Mormon icon.  … read more

Local Reviews: Nick Foster

Local Reviews: Nick Foster
By

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: Parlor Trix

Local Reviews: Parlor Trix
By

This four-piece rap outfit from Salt Lake is ambitious—they acknowledge they are less about the hooks and more about lyricism. This release finds three MCs trading verses over beats by DJ Drix.While the energy and devotion to hip hop culture are evident, it’s hard to see at first what sets these guys apart, aside from being local.  … read more

Local Reviews: South of Ramona

Local Reviews: South of Ramona
By

Aside from the cheesy 25-second intro that kicks off this five-song EP, this record is made up of some pretty good tracks from the local four-piece group. Although the first couple of songs, “Carnival Court (Step Inside)” and “Purple Sky,” feature a punk reggae vibe, the remaining tunes are different in style. … read more

Local Reviews: Stalemate Flesh

Local Reviews: Stalemate Flesh
By

First impressions of this metal/punk duo from Salt Lake City should be shunned—Stalemate Flesh may have the tendency to scare listeners away. The tones on Freedom 2020 initially are in the one-note realm—the guitars don’t move far from their roots, nor do the vocals—but that’s the band’s point: They’re not trying to be dramatically proficient with their instruments. … read more

Local Reviews: Starvist

Local Reviews: Starvist
By

Just as their album art suggests, Starvist saw off rhino horns with Taker Mythology, a fresh gulp of contemporary hardcore. Drummer Chase Cluff is a technical beast in his own right as he seamlessly transitions from technical rolls on his snare and slides into a smooth 6/8 beat with fluffy ride taps in “You Just Don’t Fool Me Twice.”  … read more

Local Reviews: Visigoth

Local Reviews: Visigoth
By

Nobody can resist headbanging to Final Spell. Visigoth gets right to the point in “Creature of Desire” as frontman Jake Rogers’ perfect falsetto crescendos into “whoa-oh-oh”s with the aid of the front line, exhibiting vocal prowess akin to Rob Halford.   … read more

Local Reviews: Stark Raving Mad

Local Reviews: Stark Raving Mad
By

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

Local Reviews: Summerteeth
By

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