Music
Local Reviews: Advent Horizon
These guys are extraordinarily talented young musicians, and I had the great pleasure of witnessing them firsthand at a live show this past year. Musically, they are dedicated to beautiful, progressive rock songs, and they jam till they’re done—all the songs on the album are over four minutes long, and about half are over six. … read more
Local Review: Yaktooth
There are a few key things you need to know about Yaktooth: They like to talk about North Korea and Kim Jong Il, and they like to play math rock. Yaktooth wouldn’t be out of place on Hydra Head’s roster, and their jams rock.
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Local Review: Tendervishes
Tendervishes is the kind of band I’d imagine somebody using the word “gypsy” to describe, if that person had never actually heard gypsy music. Perhaps this is something any band making moody use of violins and non-4/4 timings has to deal with, though. … read more
Local Review: Rocky Mountain District
For the past few years, bands have been rescuing the screamo moniker from its relegated position as an evil music genre epithet, a cause furthered by Rocky Mountain District. Brandishing their swords and screams proudly, and recording their performance in brilliant lo-fi glory, any notions of the negative connotation of emo and screamo are cast aside. … read more
Local Review: PTO
Pointless has possibly gotten just as many plays on my stereo as it would have on a college radio station two decades ago. Even though the album’s performers are just four local (and young) dudes, they could still easily pass as Clinton-era slackers. … read more
Local Review: Polytype
Polytype are aptly named, considering their heavily layered production of ambient noise. This album is hypnotic dream-pop with a moody touch. … read more
Local Review: Mike Moran
This album from local musician Mike Moran contains a dense amount of indie/folk instrumentation, but Moran’s great attention to detail seems to do a disservice to his songs. Along with the thin, distorted vocals, there are a lot of small accents mixed throughout each song, such as guitar noodling, which add some different flavors to the songs, but fail to catch your ears overall. … read more
Local Review: Drew Danburry
Danburry has shown us that he’s still in the music game, which is great news in my book! As a long-ish-time fan of Danbury’s, my only disappointment was in the short length of the new release. … read more
Local Review: Charlatan
There isn’t much of an excuse for slacking in production anymore, with modern technology allowing the tiniest band to put out professional-quality demos—which is why it’s extremely painful when a band doesn’t put any effort into creating a listenable recording. … read more
Local Review: Chance Lewis
Chance Lewis portrays the wisdom and wit of an experienced emcee like Astronautalis. His influences aren’t obvious, but it’s clear he’s not afraid to represent the fact that he’s a white rapper living in Provo. … read more
Joshua James @ Velour 11.29
Velour has been bustling this year after being named Utah’s best music venue in 2012 by Salt Lake Magazine. It has been hosting up-and-coming acts from around Utah and continued its tradition of being a launch pad for bands to move on to the bigger and better (think Neon Trees, Imagine Dragons, Fictionists). Of all its successes this year, Joshua James’ triumphant CD release show(s) should be counted as one of the brightest. … read more
Top 5: Eagle Twin
The fable of the crow continues in this year’s release, The Feather Tipped the Serpent’s Scale. Guitarist and vocalist Gentry Densely is a master storyteller, guiding listeners through his dark, mythical narrative with low, throaty vocals. On some tracks, he sings the part of the narrator, while in others, he sings in first person, detailing Crow’s battle against the sun and Crow’s metamorphosis into a snake … read more
