SLUG Magazine’s collection of reviews covering the latest and greatest of Utah-based music, covering all varieties of genre, style and type.

Local Reviews: Lee Madrid

Local Reviews: Lee Madrid
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As a solo artist, Madrid possesses what many lack. He’s got an ear for classics. It’s not always easy to entertain an audience with just a guitar, piano and buttery vocals. This album should be a lesson to other aspiring musical locals – it proves that simple can be beautiful.  … read more

Local Reviews: Brandie Frampton

Local Reviews: Brandie Frampton
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Oh. My. Gawd. Brandie Frampton is, like, such a superstar!! She sings about things that I just really, like, relate to! Things like, you know, butterfly tattoos, and boys! Ugh, boys are 2 lame!!! She’s 16 and from Lindon, so she totally relates to my problems, lol! I mean, when u r 16, u know so much about life!!  … read more

Local Reviews: Wite Nite

Local Reviews: Wite Nite
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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 Reviews: Trouble on the Prairie

Local Reviews: Trouble on the Prairie
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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: Shark That Got Her

Local Reviews: Shark That Got Her
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I want to start off with stating that Shark That Got Her has the coolest band name in the whole state of Utah. I have always been a sucker for band names with shark in them, i.e. Sharks Keep Moving and Bear vs. Shark. Getting back on subject, STGH sound nothing like the two previous bands mentioned. … read more

Local Reviews: Shark Speed

Local Reviews: Shark Speed
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Oh boy!! Another band with shark in the name. I am starting to think that the whole shark thing in the band name might be getting a bit over used. One thing that is comforting: this band is really good. Their sound is basically Franz Ferdinand mixed with The Appleseed Cast, who they opened up for at Kilby Court back on Feb. 20. These guys are dope-fresh.  … read more

Local Reviews: Paper Cranes & The Doom Machine DVD

Local Reviews: Paper Cranes & The Doom Machine DVD
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Is Provo the next hotbed for noise music? The stark conservatism mixed with a large number of youth should make for a loud and subversive subculture. Where are the artists? Are they afraid to take off their headphones? Luckily for Provo, the folks at A. Star brought a little chaos down south to test the waters. … read more

Local Reviews: Muscle Hawk

Local Reviews: Muscle Hawk
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This band is fucking hot to trot. Two guys on synths/computers plus one lady on the drums formulates the perfect combination for a dance party. There is a reason one of their songs is called “Cocaine,” because MH is audio base. … read more

Local Reviews: The Mighty Curse

Local Reviews: The Mighty Curse
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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: Jacket Weather/ The Highwire Act/ I Hear Sirens

Local Reviews: Jacket Weather/ The Highwire Act/ I Hear Sirens
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Three different bands (no side projects of one musician) separately recorded three songs and then combined their efforts to put out a well-polished and goodlooking album. Jacket Weather is a culmination of four talented guys who listen to a lot of The Promise Ring or Stella Brass.  … read more