Authors: Darcy Russell
Reviews: Action Bronson – Saaab Stories
I expected more from Bronson’s debut, Saaab Stories, but was disappointed by his monotone raps. … read more
Review: Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings – Give the People...
After a battle with cancer this past summer and the subsequent delayed release of the album, Sharon Jones returns with her Dap-Kings, more powerful than ever, with the appropriately titled Give the People What They Want—the follow-up to 2010’s I Learned the Hard Way. … read more
Review: Earl Sweatshirt – Doris
Fresh out of Boarding School, Odd Future wonder child Earl Sweatshirt drops Doris on a firm and steady step out the front door with an array of guest appearances from Tyler, the Creator to RZA. … read more
Review: Deltron 3030 – Event II
The return of Deltron Zero and Automator is finally here to continue the fight against the New World Order in Event II. Packed with an eclectic group of guests, the album opens with Joseph Gordon-Levitt setting the backdrop to what feels like a play as the album progresses. … read more
Chelsea Wolfe with Spell Talk and Light Black @ Urban...
I hear and feel dark swelling tones of bass, looped vocals and keys as they open with “Movie Screen.” Fog machine aside, their ominous stage presence creates an element of awe in the room, and the audience is eerily silent and perfectly still. I can feel the energy waiting to burst out of this band. I’m stoked, because just when I think I know where a piece is going, it does the exact opposite. I’m built up by Chelsea Wolfe’s layered vocal loops, then the ambient guitar sounds and deep bass drop me out a trap door and the music halts for a fraction of a second. They are tight and together, executing these rising and falling swells with surgical precision. … read more
Mr. Gnome @ Urban Lounge 03.21 with Big Wild Wings...
Having just completed a tour that included a stop at SXSW, Mr. Gnome graced this salty, allergy cloud of a city with an aerobic and intimate show at Urban Lounge. … read more
Peelander-Z, Chalk, Problem Daughter @ Urban Lounge 04.10
I wake up to Peelander Yellow, Red and Green toting massive amounts of props, instruments and signs onto the stage only to play an extended version of “Check! Check! Check! Yeah!” and ask the audience, “Are you ready!?” to which the audience enthusiastically replies, “Yes!” only to be crushed with, “Good, we need two more minutes!” What can only be intro music to the insanity that’s about to unfold begins to play as three anime characters come running onto the stage yelling in nearly indiscernible Japanese accents: “Salt Lake City, PARTY TIME!!!!” … read more
Oddescee: Utah’s Fearless Freestyle Aficionado
Upon meeting Brandi Madrid, aka Oddescee, for the first time, you wouldn’t think you’re talking to Salt Lake’s one and only female battle emcee. In fact, the incredibly humble and down-to-earth mother of two is a self-proclaimed introvert and nerd—she proves it to me by proudly displaying the “NERD” tattoo on her back and telling me about her passion for books and the show Ancient Aliens. Her necklace, however, speaks of the woman that lies beneath: “Fearless,” it says. … read more
The Litas: The Other Sunday Sisterhood
After having ridden with the Litas, I am refreshed and motivated by a group of fearless ladies who have had the same challenges and fears as me. I want to do what I can to spread the gospel of the bike to other ladies.