Year: 2013
Local Reviews: UNCLE SCAM And The Current Administration
I was once speaking to some people about local music when guitarist Raffi Shahinian politely interrupted and said he was in a band. That band happened to be Uncle Scam. Shahinian described his band as sounding somewhat like System of a Down. … read more
Local Reviews: Up.River
Apparently, Old News Records has been started in order to either release or re-release recordings, primarily from Salt Lake-based hardcore bands, that were either initially released in small quantities, or never released at all. Not a bad idea. Up.River’s self-titled album, although not necessarily my cup of tea, is certainly deserving of a listen, even if it’s nothing very original. … read more
Local Reviews: The Vibrant Sound
The Vibrant Sound has some seriously cool jazzy tunes. This four-piece band knows how to lay down the creamy sounds. Then, when the band comes in with their falsetto background vocals, it fits the music like they were born to bone for eternity. … read more
Local Reviews: The Mighty Curse
Admittedly, I was a bit confused when I first spun the latest EP from Salt Lake City’s The Mighty Curse. It is a mishmash of styles, and the vocals are so obviously bad that you know even the members probably laugh at them. The first thing I should have done was the last thing I did, and that was go to their MySpace page. … read more
Local Reviews: Trouble on the Prairie
Minimalist percussion and plaintively delivered vocals make this release one of the most haunting local pieces I’ve heard in a while. Band members Big Red and Little Fran create a lot of atmosphere with only some sparse acoustic guitar, a shaker, a tambourine on some songs and a small drum kit on others. … read more
Local Reviews: Wite Nite
Wite Nite’s self-titled EP starts off with a promising ambience of swirling sounds and soft guitars, but moves quickly from that beauty into an unrelenting, bad mushroom trip. The whole alblum is actually perfectly described as a mushroom trip – it starts off pretty and exciting, but time seems to stop about five minutes into it and you just want it to be over. … read more
Local Review: Breaux – The Brown Bag EP
Ever wonder what Clutch would sound like if they returned to their roots, yet still retained some of their modern sound? That’s the biggest vibe I’m getting from Salt Lake City’s Breaux on The Brown Bag EP. It has almost become cliché to say, “This band defies genres,” but in all honesty I really haven’t come across a band like Breaux. … read more
Local Reviews: Dirty Loveguns
You could play this record for someone and they’d wonder what classic 80s hard rock band it is until you told them that the members of this band were probably just small kiddos in the 80s. The band isn’t out to re-invent the notion of what hard rock is, I could cite influences until the cows come home, but that doesn’t really matter. … read more
Local Reviews: Dubbed/Bombs & Beating Hearts
While I still stand firmly by my assertion that most local punk rock sucks, I’d be lying if I said this release is anything but awesome. Recorded live in the Dubbed band room, this split finds two of Utah’s finest punk bands at their best, even if they are a little drunk (Dubbed) or a little rough around the edges (Bombs & Beating Hearts). … read more
Local Reviews: Eagle Twin / Night Terror
The split album has always been a good way to discover new music that associates with projects you may already enjoy. This highly limited release is no exception, and contains one track from Salt Lake’s Eagle Twin and Night Terror. Eagle Twin’s contribution is, as always, driven heavily by excellent drumming and a great deal of dirty feedback, while Night Terror submits a strong-but-short piece of horrifying noise. … read more