Authors: Rio Connelly
Local Reviews: Birthquake!
In many instances of math rock, the progressions can feel forced. The beauty of that music is its subtle tension. There’s a comfort to the cascading riffs and staccato rhythms. These guys feel utterly at home in their musical space, which is fitting, as the three members are brothers. … read more
To Guild or Not to Guild: Acacia Coast on the...
We all love beer—that’s a given—and more and more, consumers are becoming interested in what goes into the making of their beer, from breweries to brewers. Yet another level deeper are the people behind those people. Since developing a passion for craft beer after her first bottle of Mirror Pond Pale, Acacia Coast has been
Local Reviews: The Numbs & Linus Stubbs
What could be better than veterans in their element? This collaborative effort from scene-defining artists The Numbs and seasoned beatsmith Linus Stubbs has it all. The beats are rich, full of classic soul and Motown-sounding samples. Stubbs can make simple boom-bap into a dusty funk soundtrack, tight and gritty at the same time. The lyrics are what you’d expect for a group of emcees who’ve been trading mics for over a decade. … read more
Local Reviews: Muscle Hawk
I like to dance, and Muscle Hawk clearly like to make my booty shake. Their music is relatively straightforward techno in the vein of European greats like Justice or Daft Punk: The bass is heavy, the beat throbbing and the samples dramatic and super-polished. … read more
Local Reviews: Fisch Loops
This funky little EP was pieced together entirely out of samples taken from that educational show from the ‘70s, “The Electric Company.” The unlikely source material yields some downright classic-sounding grooves, bringing to mind Lifesavas’ Gutterfly or some Curtis Mayfield in its homage to the decade of funk with a capital “F.” … read more
Sugar House Distillery: Sweat Pays Off
Sugar House Distillery pays a lot of attention to each spirit in their small product line, and the commitment to quality is clear in tasting their spirits. … read more
Local Reviews: MAD MAX
A hip hop record that uses all-live instrumentals usually falls to one end of the spectrum: either really awesome or really bad. Combinations of rock music and hip hop are even less reliable—certain elements of live rock seem to clash with some of the other components of hip hop, like clear vocal delivery and danceable rhythm. … read more
Local Reviews: Israel West
My only real complaint with this album by local hip hop artist Israel West is how hard the vocals are to hear on some of the best songs. They often sound like they were recorded in a shower, or from down a hallway and the beats totally overwhelm them. … read more
Local Reviews: Veggie Stew
Nü-metal meets butt rock on this thankfully short EP from Veggie Stew. Crunchy power chords and standard drums play under juvenile raps about partying and ego. The clichés abound here, so don’t be surprised when you hear the rhyming of “Bacardi” with “party” or lines like “I’m a terror when I flow” from the lead singer. … read more
Local Reviews: Atheist
I was blown away by this release, straight up. It has everything I love in a hip hop record: rich and dusty beats from classic source material, tight verses by the main emcee and more than a few collaborations. … read more
Local Reviews: DJ Shanty
The master of the turntables for local hip hop legends The Numbs has not been idle since 2011’s Soulburn release. The production of Megatherium, an instrumental beat album, is halfway between classic video games, breakbeats and world music with buzzed-out bass behind tight snare and rich woodblock and tom drum hits. … read more
Local Reviews: Parlor Trix
This four-piece rap outfit from Salt Lake is ambitious—they acknowledge they are less about the hooks and more about lyricism. This release finds three MCs trading verses over beats by DJ Drix.While the energy and devotion to hip hop culture are evident, it’s hard to see at first what sets these guys apart, aside from being local. … read more
