Local Review: The Horns – Yellow T EP

Local Review: The Horns – Yellow T EP
By

The Horns Yellow T EP The Horns = Girls Against Boys + fast Melvins At least, mine came with a section of yellow T-shirt with hand-drawn flowers on it courtesy of Dave Styer, one-half of The Horns’ double-pronged axe-destroying machine. The Horns, my favorite new local band, put the “I” back in “merciless.” Self-gratifying crunchy,

Local Review: State & Stereo – The Reservoir

Local Review: State & Stereo – The Reservoir
By

State & Stereo The Reservoir Gloworm Records S & S = The Strokes + Modest Mouse + Julian Tulip’s Licorice I just found out about this charmingly mopey band called Julian Tulip’s Licorice, and there are moments when State & Stereo remind me of the better parts of them, even though I’m confident State &

Local Review: Subterranean Masquerade – Suspended Animation Dreams

Local Review: Subterranean Masquerade – Suspended Animation Dreams
By

Subterranean Masquerade Suspended Animation Dreams The End Records SM = Pink Floyd + Polyphonic Spree + Katatonia + Paradise Lost + Tommy Subterranean Masquerade’s much-anticipated first full-length album picks up where two-song EP Temporary Psychotic State left off, giving us Pink Floyd psychedelia, Porcupine Tree/Devin Townsend prog rock and 60s Tommy concept-rock-opera insanity, but blended

Local Review: Swedish Music in Utah – Lucia Celebration

Local Review: Swedish Music in Utah – Lucia Celebration
By

Swedish Music in Utah Lucia Celebration Utah Arts Council Lucia Celebration = cute times + food, folks & fun This CD is just sickeningly cute. It’s a bunch of Swedish young people singing trad Swedish music. It’s a recording of the Lucia Day Celebration, put on by Utah’s Swedish Heritage Society. Sweden happens to be

Local Review: Vile Blue Shades – Dark Wizard

Local Review: Vile Blue Shades – Dark Wizard
By

Vile Blue Shades Dark Wizard Croakfrog Vile Blue Shades = Do Make Say Think + The Fall + Ralph Steadman Vile Blue Shades, who had a CD release at SLUG HQ during April Gallery Stroll, are in anti-heaven where The Swans float around with The Fall, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Junior Kimbrough, monk-like chanting and

Review: Cyness – Loony Planet/Industreality CD

Review: Cyness – Loony Planet/Industreality CD
By

Cyness Loony Planet/Industreality CD Sound Pollution   I haven’t been into grindcore since the glory days of Napalm Death, Brutal Truth and Assuck. I guess I got sick of the constant barrage of noise in my old age and started listening to much catchier music in the way of 80s hardcore punk. Now that 80s-style

Review: Massgrav – Napalm Ofver Stureplan CD

Review: Massgrav – Napalm Ofver Stureplan CD
By

Massgrav Napalm Ofver Stureplan CD Sound Pollution   Now here’s a record that’s right up my fuckin’ alley. These fat Swedish drunks wear their influences proudly on their sleeves. They love the heavyweights of Swedish hardcore like Anti-Cimex, Moderat Likvidation, Mob 47 and Crudity, but so do I. Oh yeah, and lots of Discharge, too.

Review: Misery – Production Thru Destruction

Review: Misery – Production Thru Destruction
By

Misery Production Thru Destruction Cah Records   Punks are always so much better than metalheads at playing metal. They know when not to play a useless solo, when not to play five minutes of blastbeats, and when not to use eight million riffs in one song. Misery know how to pour on the gloom and

Review: The Upwelling – Self-Titled

Review: The Upwelling – Self-Titled
By

The Upwelling Self-Titled TheUpwelling   The Upwelling are the first unsigned band to get Virgin Megatore’s “Virgin Recommends” sticker stuck to their CD, and while it isn’t hard to see why Virgin would endorse them with a sound that lands right between Jimmy Eat World and next week’s British soft-pop contender I don’t know that I

Review: The Perishers – Let There Be Morning

Review: The Perishers – Let There Be Morning
By

The Perishers Let There Be Morning Nettwerk   The Perishers come sauntering in with a long list of hopefuls who would, if given the chance, knock that bloody crown off of Coldplay’s collective head. They’re stretching out for Radiohead’s The Bends but grasping something with a bit more sugar, not nearly the substance or the