Year: 2014
Local Review: Insufferable Noise Machine – 7OTX (Part 1 and...
This two-disc release is full of so many different styles, it falls into a category of its own. It’s a mixture of soothing, psychedelic surf guitar, sudden bursts of white noise and death metal with growling “Cookie Monster” lyrics. … read more
Local Review: Joshua James – Well, Then, I’ll Go To...
I listened to this album six or seven times before I realized it—30 seconds into the second track, “Broke”—these are all Modest Mouse covers. Jesus, I am slow. But doesn’t that speak to how great Joshua James is?
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Local Review: Joe Ecker – Into The World
Moodier than Garfield on Monday and not nearly as fun, Joe Ecker makes up for what he lacks in musicianship with a strong voice and earnest (almost embarrassing) lyrics. … read more
Local Review: Jake Burch – Bloodflower
Jake Burch sings like someone pleading for absolution, as if he’s somewhere in the astral plane, stuck between stations. Burch’s voice can move up the octave scale from a twangy, marble-mouthed drawl to an impressive Jeff Buckley howl in a strained falsetto that pushes the recording into the red in a few quick movements. … read more
Local Review: Jay William Henderson – Hymns To My Amnesia
On album opener “Marrow In The Morrow,” Jay William Henderson cries, “You fool, you fucking fool. You’ve created this torturous mess.” This is some sad-bastard music, and I mean that in the best possible way. … read more
Local Review: Juana Ghani – She Lost Her Head
Juana Ghani seem to have a penchant for bringing to life a seedy, seductive back alley in Italy or Russia through their simultaneously languid and staccato music (“Na Zdorovie”). Every song is heavy on the accordion and fiddle, which feeds directly into their distinctive style of gypsy-influenced folk punk. … read more
Local Review: James Junius – moth,wing,dream
A fluttery work of ambience, moth,wing,dream, evokes images of a flickering light in a cabin or a midnight walk through a cemetery. It could be a soundtrack for a horror film with its hushed chords and sci-folk vocals. “Lake Days” is composed in the style of Morrissey, with simple synth guitar and repetitive, gloomy lyricism.
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Local Review: Jay Citrus – Suck My Lemons
Jay Citrus isn’t exactly a visionary—his rhyming is sloppy, he gets his song titles from classic hip-hop tunes and, on at least one occasion, he straight-up jacks a beat without any attribution—“The Scenario” is Yeezy’s “Blood on the Leaves.”
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Local Review: Grits Green – Imagination In Motion
I commend Grits Green for having a unique and innovative sound in their most recent album, Imagination in Motion—though it’s hard to classify it as solely hip-hop/rap. … read more
Local Review: I See Your Nightmares – Affinity For Broken...
The latest entrant in the local oddball folk music area, I See Your Nightmares includes some experimental and even slightly prog-amplified touches, like in the fuzzed-out musings of “Crocodile Tongues.” … read more
Local Review: her luminaria – The Dawn Is Your Enemy
her luminaria is quietly emerging into the SLC music scene with a beautiful collision of Midwestern grit and soft synth. … read more
Local Review: In The Making – A Wisher, A Liar
First off, I like this album, so I’m going to get my biggest pet peeve out of the way before I get into it—this album sounds like it was recorded in a tin can, which is not a compliment. … read more
