Authors: Steve Richardson
Review: Jonny Manak and the Depressives – I Am Not...
Johnny Manak and the Depressives = The Von Bondies + The Dead Boys + The Ventures
Before the first track of I Am Not A Bum… I’m A Jerk ended, I held the vinyl’s cover next to the DVD case of Steve Martin’s The Jerk to confirm their visual likeness. … read more
Review: Institute – Catharsis
Institute Catharsis Sacred Bones Street: 06.09 Institute = The Dead Boys + Gang of Four A thin-toned, catchy guitar riff begins “Perpetual Ebb,” the first track on Catharsis, and it seems to set the BPM for the whole record. Like most good albums swaying toward the punk genre, the speed enables perpetual pogoing. The vocals,
Review: Human Eye – 4: Into Unknown
I’ve been into fuzz for a while now, but the tone of the guitar’s thick, audible padding, scattered throughout 4: Into Unknown, scratch deep—enough to trigger inner-ear ASMR tingles. Throughout the album and especially in “Surface of Pluto,” the wah of the guitar solos sound like they came straight from The Stooges’ Fun House. … read more
Review: I’m In You – Trust
I’m In You keep the guitars to a minimum, only using them for texture, giving the album a new wave feel like the darker songs of New Order filtered through Metronomy. For me, the album peaks in the middle with “Disclosure,” a track that would easily fit on the Drive soundtrack. … read more
Review: Ills – Hideout From The Feeders
This album mixes aspects I’m fond of—catchy progressions matched on bass and guitar that give the rhythm a thickness I could move to—with aspects I could leave behind, like vocals that sometimes sound a little too much like Isaac Brock, for example. … read more
Review: Holograms – Forever
Forever uses the upbeat power of nearly unbroken speed to avoid any clashes with boredom while finding identity through unique vocals. … read more
Review: Heaven’s Gate – Transmuting
I’ve felt starved for feminine vocalists in the upbeat lo-fi community up until Transmuting. Heaven’s Gate mix reverberated guitars and non-stop ride cymbal with a voice between the sustained notes of Best Coast and the tone of Siouxsie Sioux. … read more
Local Review: Pentagraham Crackers – Live! From the Palace of...
Pentagraham Crackers Live! From the Palace of Payne Chthonic Records Street: 05.31 Pentagraham Crackers = Dan Sartain + The Mr. T Experience The fluid tempo and mood in Live! From the Palace of Payne flow from upbeat in one track, to depressive and longing in another. The genre seems fluid, too, and pinning it down
Local Review: Nostalgia – Self-Titled
It’s not often that a baritone voice sticking to a few sustained notes hooks me. It’s more rare when the band comes from Utah County.
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Local Review: Mortigi Tempo – Bob Your Head Suzie
Bob Your Head Suzie begins heavy, with overdriven guitar bass and what sounds like pounded, low-end piano on a track called “Air Raid” that has vocals so buried it comes off as instrumental. … read more