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: Little Sap Dungeon
Six years since their previous album, Kevin Cazier (Perception Cleanse Perception) and Christopher Alvarado (Twilight Transmissions, Roses and Exile, Harsh Reality) are back with seven (no, eight! There’s a hidden one!) tracks, marrying their dismal dystopian visions to harsh yet beautiful, heavy post-punk industrial noise. … read more
Local Review: Lady & Gent
This debut album from the five-piece Provo group features a plethora of pure folk music—lots of singing along with acoustic instruments. Made up of brothers Garrett and Ben Williams, Jeff Adams, Dana Sorensen and Chris White, Lady & Gent demonstrate how the Americana genre is done. … read more
Local Review: Irun Toh
Where Reality Sleeps is a smorgasbord of heady guitar licks compiled haphazardly into an enigmatic debut compilation. The entire project is reminiscent of late-’60s/early-’70s heavy blues (with a modern twist). … read more
Local Reviews: Hot Club of Zion
Hot Club of Zion is one of the best jazz trios around. They play a gypsy style of jazz, and even though the mention of the genre brings to mind the great Django Reinhardt, they still maintain their own identity while paying proper homage. … read more
Local Reviews: Euphoria Again
Euphoria Again is a minimalistic indie folk group whose music is comparable to a large, abstract art piece: It’s aesthetically engaging from afar, but observing it closer doesn’t bring any additional gratification. … read more
Local Review: Dine Krew
Salt Lake seems to be spouting out a steady stream of promising, uprising hip hop artists lately—Dine Krew included. We-E.T.’s presents unassuming, mellow beats and slow, satisfying flow, with short tracks that place emphasis on transitions. … read more
Local Review: Danger Hailstorm
A two-fer slab of bouncy proto-punk (or izzit pop metal?) from this local quartet, You Got It ups the the band’s incessant ear for melody (ex members of The Stench and Bad Yodellers can’t hurt) and ballsy chutzpah by driving itself over simple, thundering drums and keeping the vocals front and center in the mix. … read more
Local Review: Allred
Allred’s latest release is quite subdued. You won’t find any reverb on the lead guitar, and the vocals at a lower tone are more effective. Past and present considered, I do like this band’s guitar work. … read more
Local Review: Worst Friends
Having recorded this album as a two-piece, (pre bassist Elliot Secrist), Mike Cundick and Jarom Bischoff exhibit their impeccable knack for creating rock songs that are both virtuosic and passionate without lapsing into cheesiness. Opener “Nah Dude” pulsates with a riff that sounds like it is finger-picked, oscillating betwixt the lower and higher strings, which moves in a consistent, choral way, which explodes into erratic strumming. … read more
Local Review: Uniphi
Walk your Road is a straight-up feel-good jam-a-licious love-fest. The music is country-reggae, the vocals are executed with an island twist, and the lyrics are a non-stop celebration of life, full of self-exploration, appreciation and love. … read more