Local CD Reviews

Adam and Darcie
The Valley Where I’m From
Self-released
Street: 11.2007
Adam and Darcie = John and Yoko + that final song in Juno
Adam and Darcie Sanders are a serenading couple from Provo. In their beautifully simple (but not without accoutrement) Valley CD, the indie acoustic duo’s voices melt over one another in smooth layers superimposed upon acoustic guitars and banjos. Their soft, airy voices complement one another quite well. The cuteness in this band isn’t only apparent in the well-balanced vocal stylings of the two. The lyrics about true, mature love are appeasing to the post-high school fundamentals of amorous feelings over fleeting affection. Christmas-y bells in “Still I Know I,” drum samples in “First Sign of Relief” and electronic beats in “On the Moon” are welcome additions to the organic feel of harmonizing voices above guitar or banjo. –Nick Parker

Chelsea Grin
Chelsea Grin
Self-released
Street: 7.26.08
Chelsea Grin = Suicide Silence + Carnifex + Whitechapel
Chelsea Grin, like most of their deathcore contemporaries, employ super low guitar tunings, plenty of breakdowns and brutal lyrics that put Hostel or Saw to shame. The handful of tracks on their self-titled EP display walls of chunky guitars that, while slightly monotonous with heaving dissonance, sound pristine. Matt Winegar recorded the effort and presents an impeccable mix of layered guitars and guttural vocals—both of which are heavy to the max. Vocalist Alex “AK” Koehler is almost boring with his stereotypical misogynistic lyrics about killing sluts and making insides into outsides, but he shows a glimmer of maturity and hope in the relatively subtle “Anathema of the Sick,” which implies serious weight of disgorging or bludgeoning. “Recreant,” which is available on the re-release through Statik Factory Records or their MySpace, is their best track because it breaks from the monotony and (hopefully) shows where the band is headed. Chelsea Grin isn’t reinventing the wheel, but they could be something special if they were to break free from the gorecore comfort zone. –Nick Parker

Codi Jordan
Vacation
Self-released
Street: 1.13
Codi Jordan = LEN + Jack Johnson + G-Love + Vanilla Ice
Codi Jordan knows how to drop some flow. On Vacation, he lets it all loose with his amazing lyrical abilities. It’s fascinating how a kid from Eden, Utah can have such a rich, amazing perspective on life and such a fantastic interpretation of rap reggae. The album’s production is smooth and Codi’s lyrics deal with such important issues as drinking games and pretty girls—important subject matter for any member of a fraternity. Codi Jordan is obviously the next up-and-coming musical superstar with scheduled appearances on Channel 2’s morning show and opening slots for the always-inspiring and original Royal Bliss. Codi Jordan, you are so cool. –Jon Robertson

Gorlock
Grimoire for the Apprentice
Warlock EP
Self-released
Street: 12.06.07
Gorlock = I Shalt Become + Mayhem (early) + Esoteric + Godflesh
Gorlock’s debut EP consists of six songs and unfortunately only lasts 16 and a half minutes. Luckily, those minutes seem like hours. This is a trip into a psychotic wonderland of demons and pure abstruseness. There are elements of basically every extreme metal sub-genre within, but the end result could only be defined as experimental. I know the band is working on their first full-length album, and with hopeful certainty they will stick with their production aesthetic, filthy distortions on every layer––be it the highly fuzzed out guitar tone, buzz saw droning drums or the frightening keyboard/programming elements. Grimoire easily transports your state of mind into a strange numbness. If you play the songs loud enough, the distortions will murder your speakers. There are numerous elements of sound here all culminating in a sinister, ghastly, eventful piece of sonic disturbance. –Bryer Wharton

Lexi Sayok
Psuedo Science
Self-released
Street: 08.08
Lexi Say Ok= The Hotness + Tiger! Shit! Tiger! Tiger! + Strata
This music is engineered to hit right on the money for all people born in the 90s. The fact that the songs longer than three minutes were shoved to the end of the album makes me think that the average Lexi Sayok fan has a gnat’s attention span (what’s new with music written for those under 21 these days though?). Wade through track 16 on this 19-piece work to get to the longer cuts. Any time I see such a long song list, I wonder if more material might have been cut to make a tighter work and in this case I am not wrong. Note to local groups, just because you have “material” doesn’t mean it should go on your album. Your fans with modern culture induced ADD won’t mind anyway: chances are they’re only listening to one song regardless. That’s just the breaks, kids. –JP

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Comments on this article

Posted on January 2, 2009 by Scott Wicox

Hey guys, it's REVEELER, myspace.com/reveeler . I think Bryer was thinking about New Years" revels.....

Posted on January 6, 2009 by chad

you guys should get some reviewers that have brains. serious, your local reviews are fucking jokes. how the fuck would you give chelsea grin a halfway decent review? did your reviewer even listen to that bullshit?

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