Music
▼ Local Reviews
Local Reviews: Michael Gross and The Statuettes
With a perfectly titled album, this rock outfit sonically takes you somewhere warm on the coast. Thanks to their mostly feel-good rhythms, electric guitar riffs and arena-style vocals, this is one of Salt Lake’s most widely appealing bands. … read more
Local Reviews: Matthew and The Hope
Matthew and The Hope wasn’t my kind of jam. Matthew claims to sound like Joshua James or Ray LaMontague, but I see his vocal styles as akin to back-of-the-throat singers from neo-grunge (think Scott Stapp or Gavin Rossdale). That being said, Matthew Bashaw has solid vocal skills, but the man needs someone to back him up if he is going to pull off the alternative country sound. … read more
Local Reviews: Katherine Nelson
Born Brave is Katherine Nelson’s first album, and it is a really fucking beautiful debut. She’s had plenty of experience to build on, having performed with The Nashville Tribute Band, among others, as well as having some acting experience playing Emma Smith in several films involving the Mormon icon. … read more
Local Reviews: John-Ross Boyce and His Troubles
Deliciously raw and gritty, Black Shuck/Old Crow is a really great album—a sort of stoner-gypsy-folk-rock mash-up. Wailing guitar riffs and rich, flowing vocals define the 14-song collection and, while the moods and tempos do vary, the album maintains a pretty consistent blues-based vibe that plucks at your heart-strings—kinda even tugs on your skin a little. … read more
Local Reviews: JRapp
Jon Rappaport’s debut EP is a rhythmic, warmly melodic, complexly layered record that really shows off his skills as a producer. It’s evident that he has great instincts for composition from the fact that each track becomes a journey, bringing the listener along. … read more
Local Reviews: Dustbloom/Huldra
Ah, the split album—it’s a perfect way to showcase new bands and display the diversity of a musical community. This split features three songs apiece and a collaborative track from two of Salt Lake’s most exciting bands in the world of aggressive music. … read more
Local Reviews: 2WENTYTHRE3
The thing about this 2WENTYTHRE3 is that it’s really pretty good for what it is. From the little information I could find about Jared Smith, a Utahn, he’s taking himself pretty seriously and trying earnestly to turn in a solid effort for his sound and his branding, and it’s easy to tell that he is working very hard at both. … read more
Local Reviews: Deny Your Faith
The first track from Deny Your Faith’s Taste the Infection, “Pierce the Vein,” happens to be the worst cut of the release. The rest of Taste of Infection is populated by thrashy riffing, some punchy breakdowns and more than enough guitar soloing. Add some great jam-rocking moments and it’s all a damn fine release. … read more
Local Reviews: Wesly
Brainchild of lead singer Wesly Lapioli, this album is neat and complete. The songwriting is clear and specific, and for local bands and debut albums, that is an admirable feat. Not having to compromise content with other band members has surely lent itself to a more definitive direction and style, and Lapioli’s inspirations have led to an album that seems to revisit the sounds of the mid-1990s grunge era. … read more
Local Reviews: Sodacon
Founder Jesse Crawford took Sodacon solo in 2008 after nearly a decade of existence, tossing the music catalog and spending over two years writing and producing new material by himself. [ed.- Sodacon has always been a solo project and has recorded six albums in the last six years] The result is Songs Of Summer, which isn’t as much a full musical experience as it is Crawford showing off. … read more