Month: February 2014
Review: Antithought – Life’s Too Long
The simplistic, three-chord fist picking reflects the content of the lyrics. Fuckin’ faster than the S Line—I timed my showers with the album and probably saved quite a bit of water. Life’s Too Long is steeped in the D.C. street punk style with hairs of late ’90s punk and I look forward to their next release. … read more
Review: Alarms and Controls – Clovis Points
The vocals sound nerdy and a little more chatty than melodic in most places—it’s a little off-kilter, and pop hooks definitely aren’t their strong suits. That being said, they are great musicians—think of them as graduates from the “Omar Rodriguez-López School for Stoned Musicians.” … read more
Review: Alcest – Shelter
With drummer Winterhalter, Neige has left all ties to black metal behind with this release. From honey-laced harmonies on “Opale,” to meandering compositions on “Voix Sereines,” to the Halstead sung, Souvlaki-esque ballad “Away,” the album is filled with lush musical contemplations and triumphant melodies start-to-finish. … read more
Review: Against Me! – Transgender Dysphoria Blues
Though there are a few stinkers, Transgender Dysphoria Blues actually isn’t horrible. “Drinking With The Jocks” and “Osama Bin Laden As The Crucified Christ” kick ass like the Eternal Cowboy and Searching days, and “Two Coffins” is the most paralyzing song I have heard in a long time. … read more
Review: Adrian Krygowski – Roam
After two previous records (Road on the Left, Hope For Us), Krygowski and the band dedicated seven tracks to a soulful consciousness, both instrumentally and vocally. They combine the fiddle, guitar and drums to give each track different musical stresses. Roam is truly an expressive album and will evoke similar emotions in its listeners. … read more
Review: Aan – Amor Ad Nauseum
The first track promised that I was in for something gritty and dark with some snarling, stiff-lipped vocal work—but it lied. The band is great at making lightly psychedelic pop love songs, but they’re definitely their best when they give them an edge. … read more
Localized: The Guard Cats
This month’s Localized is a meeting of veterans of Salt Lake’s original punk scene and the new breed of local soundsters creating their own musical voice—the experimental, dub-influenced Muzzle Tung open. The Guard Cats have existed barely a year, but they display a diverse sonic palette. On the other end of the continuum, Gnawing Suspicion
NOVA Chamber Music Series: Fry Street Quartet Plays Haydn, Ellison...
The influence of folk songs, or rather folk styles of song, has a long tradition of being reinvented as formal music for the concert hall. The NOVA concert of January 12 at Libby Gardner Hall perfectly illustrated this with a set of pieces covering three different centuries and three different styles with works by Haydn and Dvorak, and a new work by contemporary composer Michael Ellison. … read more
Action Bronson @ The Complex 01.30 with Party Supplies
Eventually, Bronson did get most of the crowd back on his side. As to be expected, he crushed it, but it was a short set. “Get the fuck outta here / I do this shit straight off the couch,” he boasted, in his thick Queens accent, over a sea of bobbing heads and waving arms. … read more
Kid Congo Powers: The Rock n’ Roll Beat
Still an avid collector, Powers cites record collecting as essential to forming a band. He says, “I think you need some weight behind what you are doing—in a rock n’ roll band, that is.” He points out that by knowing the linage, one can see where other groups get their inspiration and how their language is created, like how The Stooges’ “Shake Appeal” is inspired by Little Richard. … read more
On The Road Again: Windells Camps Out at Brighton
If you have never been to Mt. Hood’s summer camps, you are really missing out. Fortunately for you, though, Windells has been On The Road. … read more
Jupiter Suit: Playing for Change
Zach Marquez, 18 years old, is just the right mix of confident and cautious, ambitious and humble. He doesn’t want to be famous for the reasons you think. You see, last November, while I was watching these beautiful women from around the world compete in a fucking swimsuit competition, Marquez was thinking of any way he could possibly help the devastated people of the Philippines. Marquez is not most of America. … read more
