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Local Reviews: The Mooks
Before hearing it, I thought that the title track of this latest Mooks release might be a Spice Girls cover—these are SLC’s foremost purveyors of all things pop-punk and cuteness, after all—but that is not the case (though that probably would’ve been pretty cool, too). … read more
Local Reviews: Lady Murasaki
Had I not seen this band in person, I never would have guessed these soulful vocals came from a 6’ Japanese woman commanding the mic with a classic Gretch in hand. But this poppy five-piece rock group really isn’t anything they appear to be, and that’s a really good thing. … read more
Local Reviews: Israel West
My only real complaint with this album by local hip hop artist Israel West is how hard the vocals are to hear on some of the best songs. They often sound like they were recorded in a shower, or from down a hallway and the beats totally overwhelm them. … read more
Local Reviews: Huldra
Clocking in at nearly 45 minutes, this might be the longest EP I’ve ever heard—but I’m totally okay with that. Huldra’s sound is firmly cemented in the spacey, weighty grounds of post-metal where ISIS and Neurosis trod before them, their songs building and crashing over striking keyboard passages, and punctuated by bellowing howls. … read more
Local Reviews: Gravetown
Logan’s Gravetown could be considered “the new(er) guys” in Utah’s metal breeding grounds. For a demo, the production of the five tracks here is better than a good chunk of material I’ve come across that actually had album producers and mixers. Gravetown dish up some devious death n’ thrash with the intent to respect the elder metal gods as well as bust the heads of “noobs.” … read more
Local Reviews: Thunderfist
Since visiting my 8th-grade Career Day class 10 years ago, singer Jeremy Cardenas scream-sings just as viciously as in those initial Thunderfist recordings. But now, I’m more afraid he’ll beat me with an ugly stick, shrieking, “I’m all fucked up tonight!” in “Hit the Bottle Again.” With the addition of the prodigious Matt Miller, Thunderfist’s guitar dynamics are fleshed out in a kaleidoscopic way, balanced so that each guitar complements each other just enough, such as in the riffy “Back Down.” … read more
Local Reviews: Samuel Smith Band
You swore you would never listen to KBER. Samuel Smith Band, Salt Lake Soundcheck favorites, will make you repent your superiority. Recall, if you possibly can, some shit-forsaken rock quartet from the ’70s, with a white soul singer, bottle-neck guitars and Fender Champs cranked up to blues kazoo. Samuel Smith Band delivers these basic goods, combined with enough wit and funk to retain a sure sense of the here and now. … read more
Local Reviews: The Mighty Sequoyah
While folk may not be my personal favorite of the genres, The Mighty Sequoyah have managed to produce a solid and pleasant-sounding album. In Sunken Houses, the sounds have been well produced under drummer Bret Meisenbach’s label, Black Pyramid Recording. … read more
Mika @ In the Venue 03.30
Usually when an artist or band opens with your favorite song of theirs, it’s all downhill from there—but, luckily for me, this was a special situation. You see, before this concert, I’d only heard about a third of Mika’s work. Which was basically the reason I’d decided to review the thing in the first place—I’d liked what I’d heard, and I wanted to hear more. So, when Mika opened with “Grace Kelly,” a fun song that’s really just a “fuck you” to record execs, I knew there was a good chance of things improving from that point. … read more
Local Reviews: Melody & Tyler
I woke up with lyrics stuck in my head a couple of times after listening to this album––the songs are catchy, well put together, and totally genre-appropriate. Singer/songwriter Melody Pulsipher has a beautiful voice, and, better still, is willing to experiment with it, ranging from soft and moody to twangy and countrified. … read more