Authors: Madelyn Boudreaux
Local Reviews: Night Sweats
Usually, an EP will comprise a few songs representing a short body of work by a band. In the case of Night Sweats’ Red EP, four songs make up over 30 minutes of dark yet poppy electronic indie music. I keep seeing references to them on my Facebook feed. Red makes it quickly obvious why they’re on every tongue and fingertip. … read more
Local Reviews: The Rose Phantom
The latest release by Salt Lake’s own Ted Newsom, Abandon represents a new direction as Newsom turned his back on his other projects to focus two years’ time on the Rose Phantom persona and work. Marrying lush dramatics and intricate electronica, the album’s 10 tracks of careful and succinct industrial-tinged darkwave would not be out of place in a goth club or in an alternative radio station’s rotation. … read more
Review: Depeche Mode – Delta Machine
After 35-plus years of making sly and danceable new wave electronica, a band might be forgiven for letting it get a bit stale. … read more
Review: Davey Suicide – Self-Titled
I don’t know when the metal kids started making industrial music, or when the rivets started headbanging. Maybe it was always so, but I swear, when I was in school, the twain never met except to fight. That is no more, and there’s no better proof than on this eponymous album: 14 tracks of nuclear metal crossed with industrial distortion and quite a few bad words, oh my! … read more
Review: Dash Rip Rock
In the almost 30 years since they formed, Louisiana Music Hall of Famers Dash Rip Rock have been making rollicking swamp-rock with equal doses of punk and country and even a little metal. … read more
Review: Crime and the City Solution – American Twilight
Critics’ darlings who never quite made the mainstream grade back in the early 1990s, Crime are back with their first release in 20-plus years. … read more
Review: Binary – Amber EP
Deeply layered and grungy post-goth indie-rock, this five-track EP is like a postcard from a downgraded northern town in England, postmarked 1989. … read more
Local Reviews: Sleep Slid IN
Tragic and big gothic rock doesn’t happen anymore. It’s just not ironic enough these days. Apparently, Sleep Slid IN didn’t get the memo, and thank the gods for that! … read more
Local Reviews: Riverhead
I’ve known guitarist Michael Burgess for years, but if I had not looked at the band name, I’d never have guessed this gorgeous, fantastically dark pop album was a local product. Synthy trip-hop tracks like “Revolver” and “Protection” worm their way into your head and stay there for days. … read more
Local Reviews: DulceSky
Locals DulceSky pack a “doubleplusgood” punch with these nine songs. Although they’ve played the Dark Arts Festival and the packaging is reminiscent of ‘90s industrial, this is straightforward indie rock with a dark, intelligent, politicized edge. … read more