Authors: Kat Kellermeyer
Local Reviews: Purr Bats
Anyone who’s ever picked up an album by Purr Bats knows the sort of insanity they’re getting into, but for those unfamiliar, let me try to explain: imagine a much more twisted version of Devo, blending a folk-western style into a techno-rock hybrid. … read more
Local Reviews: Team Mom
I was not prepared to be so pleasantly surprised. This album is darn good. With a surge in the indie-pop scene as of late, Team Mom is a welcome addition, bringing new-age alternative with a twist of ’60s folky electric guitar and swing-jazz drums. … read more
Local Reviews: Canadians Among Us
Though they’re rock at heart, the thing that really sets this group out from the crowd is the dash of country and jazz in their songs. From a harmonica here to a saxophone there, and just when you think you’ve grown comfortable with who CAU really are, they toss you out on your ear with “The Headless Song” and completely change it up. … read more
Local Reviews: Misty Murphy
Being a huge Darling Violetta fan, I fell for this album from the second I started listening. Very much a black pop album, you get hints of sitar and heavy-handed piano accompaniment that fully play up the otherworldly sound of Murphy’s voice. … read more
Local Reviews: Patter Stats
From the sound of it, this is the sort of band you have to see live to get a good feel for them, because it takes some effort to get over the “dude-in-a-basement” quality level of recording here before you can really get into this album. … read more
Local Reviews: S.S.
If you were to classify S.S. I Am The as a metal band, the first thing you’d have to realize is how much more melodic they are compared their wail-and-thrash brethren. They have a dark sound, but the melodies are almost ethereal: dreamy, and virtually intoxicating, even when the song turns heavy. … read more
Local Reviews: Fictionist
Fictionist, formerly under the guise Good Morning Maxfield, is a jazzy little throwback to the 60s, complete with candy-pop keyboards and glockenspiel. With so many pop bands churning out albums that sound like everything else you’ll hear being played on every other station, this group is really a breath of fresh air. … read more
Local Reviews: Nathan Spenser
Nathan Spenser has put together a nice little collection of folk/rock songs, and for the majority, it’s an acoustic album. While most albums like this tend to reek of the “it’s been done before and done better” curse, Spenser seems to understand he’s not here to reinvent the genre. … read more
Local Reviews: Going Second
As I’m growing out of my pop-punk phase, it’s getting harder and harder for these types of bands to impress me. Going Second has caught my ear though. This band has managed to incorporate all the aspects that make a pop-punk band good, while most bands nowadays seem to only focus on one. … read more
Local Reviews: Paul Jacobsen and the Madison Arm
I first heard Paul Jacobsen a while back on the Slowtrain compilation, Around The Bend, and fell in love with his featured track, “Lung.” When I got my hands on the full-length and figured out why that opening track was so familiar, I kept my fingers crossed and kept listening. Not only does Jacobsen deliver, he exceeds my expectations. … read more
Local Reviews: To The Death
Now, as high as that equation set your expectations, take a minute and come down a little. I’ll admit, at first I was ready to write this band as of yet another alt-rock/pop band, but ironically while most bands put their best tracks first and last, all the good ones are hidden in the middle. … read more
Localized: The Furs
This month’s Localized, on October 12th at the Urban Lounge, features two bands who push the envelope when it comes to trying something new, whether it’s mixing styles (and their own tracks) or introducing a musical movement to Salt Lake City. This month, Localized presents genre-tampering Cavedoll and neo-psychedelic The Furs. The Furs Bryan Mink
