Year: 2013
Local Reviews: GAZA
Salt Lake’s own grind-metal heroes have kicked their game up to some intense new heights with this record. Familiar elements of the previous albums prevail: the discordant insanity, the rib-smashing riffs, the harsh, grating screams from some lower bowel of hell. On top of this chaotic primordial soup, the band has planted layers of matured, rhythmic, doom-metal moments that feel like coming up for air before you drown. … read more
Local Reviews: Inland
With noodly, undistorted guitar lines and constant high hat in the forefront showcasing emotional vocals and thinly veiled romantic lyrics, Inland sounds exactly how I’d imagine Kickball did in high school. … read more
Local Reviews: Kristen Nelson
Beautiful, soulful melodies with drawn- out, twangy vocals comprise the majority of this seven-song EP/album, and a dash of pop helps keep it current and catchy. Kristen Nelson, originally hailing from Washington, brought the melancholy vibe often associated with her homestate to Utah. … read more
Local Reviews: Markham Sound
At first, I didn’t know if this was a serious attempt to create an album, but I quickly realized it’s some kind of blend between comedy and music. The album opens with the tune “Mom & Dad,” with a chorus that rambles off a list of bands, “Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Seals and Croft, Three Dog Night, Chuck Berry, Sly and the Family Stone.” … read more
Local Reviews: Mechanical Skies
This five-song EP continues the journey of Mechanical Skies, following their first release in 2010. Exploring the three members’ influences, which they list as ranging from Jimi Hendrix to All-American Rejects, this material has a definitive classic rock undertone throughout. … read more
Local Reviews: Various Artists
The sampler begins with a fantastic track by Mystique, a local amalgam of young musicians from varied backgrounds who came together under the guidance of Spyhop. It is a delightfully upbeat, bouncy song paired with rich, soulful vocals performed by the female singers of the project. It’s a great way to start the album. … read more
Local Reviews: Brad Stock
The Atomic Clock promised a “rare mixing of genres” and life-changing songs that would send my mind reeling into unknown space, but the whole thing plays like generic radio rock you’d hear at the mall. His lyrics are (occasionally laughable) elementary rhymes—“Watch out, this is mace/pointed straight at your face”—and, on track “Conspiracy of 2,” he even rips off George Carlin’s Napalm and Silly Putty book title. … read more
Local Reviews: The Dhoon
I appreciated Bright in No Light after my second listen quite a bit more than the first—which was on a sunny day in busy traffic. Listening while outdoors at night happens to be the better way to get into this music. … read more
Local Reviews: Eagle Twin
If you live in Salt Lake City and you are even remotely into heavy music, you, at the very least, have heard of Eagle Twin. Master craftsmen Gentry Densley and Tyler Smith return with their highly anticipated follow-up to 2009’s epic, The Unkindness of Crows, and the anticipation is far from unwarranted. This fucker is heavy, and I don’t mean just a little. … read more
Local Reviews: Esther
Esther’s self-released EP, Common Choirs, finds its groove in the post-hardcore/ screamo realm—it would sit well on the shelf next to late ’90s/early ’00s genre releases. The hallmark heart-on-your-sleeve, metaphorical lyrics are abundant, just waiting to be turned into tattoos/T-shirts/Facebook status updates, and are backed by emotive guitar lines that dip into heavier territory than others of this genre might. … read more
Local Reviews: Jake Burch
The local scene has been graced by the presence of the eclectic folk band L’anarchiste. Now the band’s influence is growing as one of its members, Jake Burch, has gone solo. He offers jazz-influenced folk in his debut, War. I want to like the album, but it just rubs me the wrong way a few times. Almost every song highlights a new instrument and different vocal style. … read more
Local Reviews: JP Haynie
Jordan Haynie created this album with purpose. He wanted to make a soundtrack for the drive from Utah to California, so he played what he calls “desert music.” He wanted to give people deeper access to his creativity, so he included a 24-page book with drawing and recording notes. But I would guess that his primary purpose was self-expression. … read more
