Top 5: Acid Tiger

Top 5: Acid Tiger
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What initially strikes me about Acid Tiger is the unity it exudes between different forces in the world of underground rock music. Since Acid Tiger self-proclaims that they play a “progressive rock/punk hybrid” on their Myspace, but sound akin to stoner metal, they linguistically interrupt a current (and unfortunate) punk criteria, which enables them to act as a sort of cultural black hole where all that has or ever been is free game to be mauled by the tiger. … read more

Localized – The Daniel Day Trio, Night Sweats and John-Ross Boyce & His Troubles

Localized – The Daniel Day Trio, Night Sweats and John-Ross...
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If there’s a better way to end a year than with a killer show, SLUG knows it not. We’re fucking slaying it with three amazing local groups for December’s Localized. The talent ranges from the acoustic to the dark neo-new-wave and to the eclectically electric jazz. On December 10, John-Ross Boyce & His Troubles will open the show with Night Sweats and The Daniel Day Trio headlining an end-of-decade show unlike any other. … read more

Top 5 of 2010

Top 5 of 2010

To celebrate another year’s end, SLUG handpicked 13 writers to spotlight one of their favorite releases of 2010 in an extended review. Read on for Top 5 lists from SLUG’s contributors and genre-spanning reviews of artists like The Black Keys, Sleigh Bells, Acid Tiger and local artist S.L.F.M. … read more

Napalm Flesh – Re-Issue/Re-Master Chopping list

Napalm Flesh – Re-Issue/Re-Master Chopping list
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This week is all CD reviews, in particular CD re-issue and re-master reviews. Every year albums upon albums are re-issued and re-released, some are worth picking up and some aren’t. The reviews of the albums here are more themed around the quality of the re-issue than the quality of the album because if it’s getting released by another label or released again in some form the music doesn’t need to be judged, but is package does. … read more

Spoek Mathambo @ W Lounge

Spoek Mathambo @ W Lounge
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It took a lot to get Mr. Mathambo’s hype-heavy mash up of retro-futurist electronic music filtered through the cultural battlefield of post-apartheid Johannesburg to Salt Lake City. In fact, it took a superfecta of nightlife/fashion promoters to persuade Mathambo and Mshini Wam to make a pit-stop along I-80 to our dusty little spot on the map. … read more

Small Black at Kilby Court 11/12

Small Black at Kilby Court 11/12
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As a space heater warmed up the Kilby garage, crowd-pleasing local opener The Heavens and the Earth (aka producer Matt McMurray) came onstage behind an impressive array of electronics hooked together with a grippe of colorful cables. As he started playing a whooshing synth pad, I anticipated a set of Tangerine Dream worship. Then he hit the crowd with a beat and got everyone moving. … read more

Who the FUCK is Circa Survive? A review of Dredg @ In the Venue

Who the FUCK is Circa Survive? A review of Dredg...
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Dredg has been one of my favorite bands since a suitemate introduced me to them in college back in ’04. Their Live at the Filmore album proves they’re the kind of band that can reproduce intricate prog rock as fluently live as in the studio, which is more than can be said for the general gamut of post-TOOL prog rock groups. … read more

Napalm Flesh: A Week of Swedish Black Metal-Watain & Marduk

Napalm Flesh: A Week of Swedish Black Metal-Watain & Marduk
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This week’s blog dissects and gives a rundown of last week’s goings on with the Watain tour and Marduk shows in Salt Lake City, both big shows from gigantic Swedish black metal bands. You should have been in attendance for at least one of the gigs—if not, you missed out on some evil doing black metal. Also is a rundown of this week’s shows, and another batch of blog exclusive CD reviews as well as some choice reviews from fellow SLUG writer Andrew Roy. … read more

The Hold Steady @ In the Venue

The Hold Steady @ In the Venue
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The Hold Steady had played Salt Lake City on their two previous tours, both times packing the Urban Lounge to near (or even past) capacity.  So much had changed since then.  Would they even try to recapture the old magic, or would this be a completely new direction for this Brooklyn-by-way-of-Minnesota group of musicians? Any lingering concerns were quickly put to rest when guitarist Tad Kubler ripped into the first song. … read more

Napalm Flesh: Prelude to the Apocalypse – Interview with Decrepit Birth

Napalm Flesh: Prelude to the Apocalypse – Interview with Decrepit...
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For this week’s blog we have an interview with California death metal crew Decrepit Birth. There’s also the usual round-up of concerts going on for the week, lots of national and local metal to be seen all around. Also, there is a slurry of blog exclusive CD reviews as well as reviews that didn’t make the print magazine for November. … read more