Month: May 2013
Local Reviews: Paper Cranes
Insanity lo-fi noise guitar/synth dancebeats are piled under paroxysmal thrashpunk powerviolence/Curtis Jensen-ish screams and yelps and indecipherable mutterings, and occasionally replaced by nearly-epic keyboard dirges that deteriorate as they form to make the five songs (all named after dinosaurs�Allosaurus, Dimetrodon, etc) that comprise this EP. … read more
Local Reviews: Rotten Musicians
Here we have another sophisticated hip-hop album straight from the heart of the SLC made up of Mike Danner, Shanty, Scarecrow and Madman. “Fantasy Impromptu 89” is probably my favorite track, but the disco-ish, R&B “Rotten Musicians Go to the Movies” is also a charmer. But then again, “So What Comes After Postmodern” is really catchy and powerful too, with its strobing guitar beat and buzzy synth samples. … read more
Local Reviews: Will Sartain
Will Sartain’s solo material has trappings of Redd Tape; as RT’s main songwriter, that’s to be expected. But Will seems to strip away some of the cutesy quirkiness that Redd Tape possesses in this album and his previous one and replaces it with about the same amount of pain and offbeat discordance, but painted with much more seriousness. … read more
Local Reviews: Stolen Marches
Ex-Endless Struggler Bobby and the boys bring eight heaping plates of punk rock snot and loveliness to the table that street punks, oi boys and rockers can all feast on together. … read more
Local Reviews: Taught Me
This album seems violent in the same way that a rose’s edge in bloom pushing out into the world does�it’s forceful to an extent, but you really have to pay attention to understand why. … read more
Local Reviews: Twilight Transmissions
I had the luck of getting to finally see a Twilight Transmissions performance and it was beyond fantastic. So when I got my hands on Two Faces of Zazen I couldn’t wait to listen. The rawness, textures and rhythm-noise from the debut self-titled release is still evident, yet the project is transformed into a more experimental but tenacious work. … read more
Local Reviews: The Velvet Knuckles
DJ Velvet and DJ Knuckles mash together a myriad of source artist samples to bring you a 23-track glimpse into what these masterminds are playing at. They take any sound from anywhere from 50 Cent, Biggy and J5 to Zepplin, CCR and Will Farrell voice clips in Old School and cram them together in any number of combinations to make fresh groove tunes, some of which appear on this record. … read more
Local Reviews: Form of Rocket
In the three years since their last release, Form of Rocket have improved every aspect of their music. The drumming, bass, guitars, vocals, lyrics and production all make your jaw drop. Just put on the first track, “This is Occupation,” and you’ll get an immediate idea of what I’m talking about. The songs are more uniform while remaining complex; technical without becoming too cluttered. … read more
Local Reviews: City Weekly Compilation
If the indiscreet wordplay hasn’t already tipped you off, the 2007 Slammys are City Weekly’s equivalent of the local Grammy Awards, selecting winners in every genre the city has to offer. Although the compilation boasts a wide array of artists, labeling gets a little blurred from time to time (example: Best Rock/Pop, Best Acoustic/Folk, etc.), leaving artists who could have filled the counter-genres unaccounted for. … read more
SLUG at Obama’s Inauguration
Millions of people, like myself, made their pilgrimage to Washington D.C. to bear witness to the historic Inauguration of Barack Obama on January 20th, 2009. It was a surprising event: no deceit, no violent protest, no nuke going off in the nations capital –– just a smooth passing of the torch. … read more