Music
SLUG Magazine’s collection of reviews covering the latest and greatest of Utah-based music, covering all varieties of genre, style and type.
Local Review: Filth Lords – Keep On Snarlin’
Filth Lords Keep On Snarlin’ Self-Released Street Date: 12.20.12 Filth Lords = Kid Dynamite + Police-era Fucked Up + Guilt Lust Keep On Snarlin’ is kinda ruddy. It buries the frothy bawl of singer/axeman Alex Ortega ‘neath a thick lacquer of Nick Harris’ throbbing basslines, Swiz drums from Rio Connelly and frenetic gee-tar noodling, and
Local Review: Famous Relatives – Electric Signals
Famous Relatives Electric Signals Tush Records Street: 05.31 Famous Relatives = Phoenix + Foster the People + MGMT The combination of indie pop and electronically made beats gives Electric Signals that late-summer-afternoon-concert feel. The relaxing, synthesized vocals and blended mix of sounds in tracks like “Painted Picture” and “Sidewalks” remind me a lot of
Local Review: Ether – Archive: Unreleased Recordings 1993–2013
Ether Archive: Unreleased Recordings 1993–2013 8ctopus Records Street: 06.14 Ether = Grails + Sunn O))) + Can I was unfamiliar with Ether prior to receiving Archives for review. Fortunately, that unfamiliarity has been remedied. This double-disc, 20-year retrospective contains some impressively exploratory psychedelic noise, but is best heard over a few sittings—as the improvisationally long-winded
Local Review: D.I.E. – Dying Is Easy
D.I.E. Dying Is Easy Esoteric Entertainment Street: 03.08.11 D.I.E. = NIN + Carlos Satana + Dead Can Dance D.I.E. is a project that is composed in a couple of different regions. Jason Wright is a guitarist based out of California and J. “Bunnie” Dreher is a local keyboardist and producer. Their work on this
Local Review: Cliffs – Pets In The City
Cliffs Pets In The City Self-Released Street: 05.26 Cliffs = (MGMT + Panda Bear) x Saucerful of Secrets–era Pink Floyd In their first full-length album, Cliffs take a few more positive steps, adding some higher production values on newer songs and honing their sonic range. Overall, the band has a nice, eclectic sound that carefully
Local Review: Clay – Building Blocks
Clay Building Blocks Self-Released Street: 05.31 Clay = The Glitch Mob + CocoRosie I liked the funky, slow electronic sound that Clay put together for this album. However, the wide variety of sounds made it seem weird—the songs would go back and forth from experimental electronic to jazz. I liked the track “Arctic Anthem” because
Local Review: Candid Coyote – Blessed Be Those Who Weep
Candid Coyote Blessed Be Those Who Weep Self-Released Street: 04.14 Candid Coyote = Townes Van Zandt + Gram Parsons One of the great challenges a solo musician faces is to engage the ears of their listener, and, once they do, to elicit some kind of emotive response or make them feel a certain way. However,
Local Review: Benjamin Dara – Single Flame
Benjamin Dara Single Flame Self-Released Street: 02.18 Benjamin Dara = Dispatch + Enya + Jack Johnson Benjamin Dara’s debut release begins with a music-box-like piano riff, leading into a mystical arrangement of synth strings and distorted drums accompanying his vocals as he sings, “The moon up high, the eye in the sky, the clouds, the
Local Review: 90s Television – Going Blonde
90s Television Going Blonde Self-Released Street: 12.14.12 90s Television = The Strokes + Animal Collective + Pepper + Smile from the Streets You Hold–era John Frusciante I think these guys found their recording equipment rusting in some corner of the D.I. Going Blonde is a distorted mess, which makes certain tracks almost painful to bear.