Local Reviews: Fox Van Cleef

Local Reviews: Fox Van Cleef
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These Ogden boys sound like the kind of blues you might have found in a smokey tavern 30 years ago where the drinks were cheap and the waitresses underdressed.  The first vocal line by Dustin Bessire on “Somethin’ ‘bout the Way and Groovy Tuesdays” is a dead ringer for Dr. John, with a low, throaty growl behind the wail.  … read more

Local Reviews: Armorie

Local Reviews: Armorie
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While the arrangements of the songs on Pew Pew feel a little spastic, a little schizo, giving this record repeated listens helps to understand what the band was going for as a whole.  I mean, this sounds like a few different guys getting their ideas down on a recording, experimenting with abandon and developing minor themes into entire songs.  … read more

Local Reviews: Birthquake!

Local Reviews: Birthquake!
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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 Importance of Supporting Local Breweries

To Guild or Not to Guild: Acacia Coast on the...
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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

Local Reviews: The Numbs & Linus Stubbs
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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

Local Reviews: Muscle Hawk
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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

Local Reviews: Fisch Loops
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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: Sweat Pays Off
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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

Local Reviews: MAD MAX
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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

Local Reviews: Israel West
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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