Local Reviews: Raw Xtract

Local Reviews: Raw Xtract
By

I’ve never heard anything sound quite like this record by local poet and pianist Ami Hanna.  There are moments of this scattered effort that are listenable as more conventional music, but the majority sounds like homework assignment poems read over amateur beats.  … read more

Local Reviews: Joseph (The Voluptuary) Smith

Local Reviews: Joseph (The Voluptuary) Smith
By

The most striking thing about this record, straight off the bat, is that the all-black plastic CD case has a small castle (temple?) adorned with a sparkly mushroom placed on the middle of the cover—that’s three-dimensionally, sticking out about three inches!  … read more

Local Reviews: Fox Van Cleef

Local Reviews: Fox Van Cleef
By

These Ogden boys sound like the kind of blues you might have found in a smokey tavern 30 years ago where the drinks were cheap and the waitresses underdressed.  The first vocal line by Dustin Bessire on “Somethin’ ‘bout the Way and Groovy Tuesdays” is a dead ringer for Dr. John, with a low, throaty growl behind the wail.  … read more

Local Reviews: Armorie

Local Reviews: Armorie
By

While the arrangements of the songs on Pew Pew feel a little spastic, a little schizo, giving this record repeated listens helps to understand what the band was going for as a whole.  I mean, this sounds like a few different guys getting their ideas down on a recording, experimenting with abandon and developing minor themes into entire songs.  … read more

Local Reviews: Birthquake!

Local Reviews: Birthquake!
By

In many instances of math rock, the progressions can feel forced. The beauty of that music is its subtle tension. There’s a comfort to the cascading riffs and staccato rhythms. These guys feel utterly at home in their musical space, which is fitting, as the three members are brothers.  … read more

To Guild or Not to Guild: Acacia Coast on the Importance of Supporting Local Breweries

To Guild or Not to Guild: Acacia Coast on the...
By

We all love beer—that’s a given—and more and more, consumers are becoming interested in what goes into the making of their beer, from breweries to brewers. Yet another level deeper are the people behind those people. Since developing a passion for craft beer after her first bottle of Mirror Pond Pale, Acacia Coast has been

Local Reviews: The Numbs & Linus Stubbs

Local Reviews: The Numbs & Linus Stubbs
By

What could be better than veterans in their element? This collaborative effort from scene-defining artists The Numbs and seasoned beatsmith Linus Stubbs has it all.  The beats are rich, full of classic soul and Motown-sounding samples.  Stubbs can make simple boom-bap into a dusty funk soundtrack, tight and gritty at the same time. The lyrics are what you’d expect for a group of emcees who’ve been trading mics for over a decade.  … read more

Local Reviews: Muscle Hawk

Local Reviews: Muscle Hawk
By

I like to dance, and Muscle Hawk clearly like to make my booty shake.  Their music is relatively straightforward techno in the vein of European greats like Justice or Daft Punk:  The bass is heavy, the beat throbbing and the samples dramatic and super-polished.  … read more

Local Reviews: Fisch Loops

Local Reviews: Fisch Loops
By

This funky little EP was pieced together entirely out of samples taken from that educational show from the ‘70s, “The Electric Company.” The unlikely source material yields some downright classic-sounding grooves, bringing to mind Lifesavas’ Gutterfly or some Curtis Mayfield in its homage to the decade of funk with a capital “F.”  … read more

Sugar House Distillery: Sweat Pays Off

Sugar House Distillery: Sweat Pays Off
By

Sugar House Distillery pays a lot of attention to each spirit in their small product line, and the commitment to quality is clear in tasting their spirits. … read more