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: it foot, it ears
Cannonball Lessons is the second release from Salt Lake avant-garde duo, it foot, it ears. This five-song EP adds to the band’s catalogue a handful of stripped-down musical miniatures, which are at once endearing and exasperating. … read more
Local Review: Harmon’s Heart
Harmon’s Heart album is worth a listen for anyone who pays attention to Exigent or is willing to unplug from the local hardcore scene for a few songs. … read more
Local Review: Hang Time
This album is defined by its lush instrumentation, dripping with cosmic flair. The guitar rhythms are jangly with just enough feedback, and occasionally angular enough to border math rock. … read more
Local Review: Color Animal
After covering Color Animal for July’s edition of Localized, at which point in time they had not recorded anything yet, I was eager to hear their debut album. Despite having to wait a few extra months, this seven-song mini-LP with a great blend of psychedelic and garage/surf rock was worth it. … read more
Local Review: Caladan Brood
Evoking a bitter age of strife in a war-torn fantasy realm, Echoes of Battle shows an impressive amount of maturity for a debut release. With a tasteful mix of thoughtful orchestral arrangements and dynamic black metal sorcery, members Mortal Sword and Shield Anvil pay lyrical and musical tribute to Steven Erikson’s dark fantasy series, The Malazan Book of the Fallen. … read more
Local Review: Ben Best & Karl Jørgensen
Ben Best & Karl Jørgensen are a local experimental duo with an appreciation for analog recording techniques, having recently released a nicely packaged cassette of their self-titled album. This volume of music contains a sonically warm series of untitled audio explorations that are almost aquatic in tone. … read more
Local Review: The Arcadians
The Arcadians has a pretty sound overall, with a lot of the focus on the vocals, but there is not a lot of substance to latch on to. My biggest complaint about this debut album from this Provo group is that it lacks originality. … read more
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.
… read more
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