Year: 2005
Local Review: State & Stereo – The Reservoir
Ragged guitar, lo-fi production, cool keyboards with slippage and astounding songwriting rescue State & Stereo from over-polished indie-rock oblivion … read more
Local Review: Ryan Boud – Falling Stars
Ryan Bound Falling Stars Ryan Boud = Jade Tree + acoustic guitar + Gathering Osiris Ryan Boud probably wants to be signed, but he already sounds like he’s on a label—the packaging, production and delivery of his music is pretty much Pollyanna perfect. Bitterness against perfect-aspiring people aside, Ryan Boud’s songwriting is quite impressive
Local Review: Royal Bliss – After the Chaos II
Royal Bliss After the Chaos II Air Castle Records Royal Bliss = Vertical Horizon + P.O.D. For how many people can’t stand Royal Bliss, they sure show up the hatahs with After the Chaos II. Sure, Royal Bliss come from a surefire mainstream perspective, but how. This album has more catchy hooks than an 18th-century
Local Review: Red Bennies – Adult Sophisticates
Red Bennies Adult Sophisticates Rest 30 Red Bennies = 40s big band + 50s garage + 70s soloing I can’t give Red Bennies a bad review because one of the members used to be my next-door neighbor, and when I would get hungry, I would go over to their house and his wife would serve
Local Review: Rezolution – Karmakatastrophe
Rezolution Karmakatastrophe Fenix Rezolution sent SLUG a copy of their new CD, even though I bashed their last one. Maybe they thought there was a different reviewer now; nope—Nicholas Fox was me, Rezolution. Face! Anyway, Rezolution pride themselves on having more substance than most “cute boy-bands.” They are heavier than Justin Timberlake; I’ll give
Local Review: Quiet Colors – Self-titled demo
Quiet Colors Self-titled demo Quiet Colors = Circa Survive + Armor for Sleep Quiet Colors comes off like an Equal Visions band with their melodic-emo-with-punk-overtones mix. The music’s cloudy-darkish, but behind it the sun is bursting out orange and glorious, and the big reverby guitars make golden rainbows. Um. Not golden showers. Armor for Sleep
Local Review: Purr Bats – Bionic Fresh Moves
Purr Bats Bionic Fresh Moves State of Deseret/Rest 30 Purr Bats = Purr Bats They’re incomparable, sorry. Salt Lake’s best dour synth-disco-spazz band that will kill you with humor while they revive you with succinctness have so many tongues in cheeks it’d be an athletic event to french ’em. Purr Bats move in a more
Local Review: My Band – Long Long Time
My Band Long Long Time My Band = Danzig + Deep Purple + Motörhead This is an awesome album musically; vocals sound like Jimi Hendrix + Lemmy, and the dirty guitarwork is a cross between classic rock and metal. Its major and fatal flaw is that almost every song sounds the same. I mean,
Local Review: Never Never – EP + LP
The vocals of Never Never are the metal equivalent of screamo — one minute is intimate-disturbing-melodic crooning, the next is guttural screams. … read more
Local Review: Mushman – Eddie Do
Nerdy and sensitive, sometimes sporting keys and vocal harmonies, Eddie Do makes me want to color with crayons, play with my computer and smile. … read more
Local Review: Magstatic – She’s Just a Buzz
Magstatic She’s Just a Buzz Pop Sweatshop Magstatic = Failure + Sugar + Pinback Plump, solid pop-hooks are as satisfying to the palatte as malt balls; sometimes energetically upbeat (“Downtown Girlfriend,” “My Little Runaway”), sometimes smoldering crystal-cool (“Run to You,” “Bitchin’ House”). It’s all radio-friendly and better than anything playing on the radio, if you
Local Review: Medicine Circus – Bottle Rockets of Emotion
Medicine Circus combines the best of ’90s alt-rock with some grunge, catchy, accessible hooks, some technical sweeteners and ’60s psychedelia. … read more
