Music
Local Review: Mkaio – The Devil Lived EP
With production technology that is more accessible and as user-friendly as iOS7, comes an influx of artistic variety that can’t simply be described as “a subgenre of electronic music.” … read more
Local Review: Masked Epsilon – Crystal Catacombs
As someone who has maybe played two hours of video games in her entire life, I’m not exactly the person to ask for opinions on a new one. However, this well-produced album is the soundtrack to a locally made online game that’s almost as nostalgic as blowing the dust out of your old Nintendo cartridges. … read more
Local Review: Dwellers – Pagan Fruit
Producing more of their psych-tinged “gut rock,” Dwellers have doubled down on the space rock sound that they experimented with on Good Morning Harakiri. The resulting album is unbelievably laid back, sounding a lot like mid-’90s stoner rock but without the angst-driven intensity. … read more
Local Review: Christopher Alvarado – Infinita
This is a release you want to listen to when you just need a moment to relax. This ambient mood music has everything you need to calm down or practice your naked yoga. … read more
Local Review: Christopher Alvarado – Creation By Inertia
A well-crafted soundscape album, Creation by Inertia showcases a serene expedition through space and time. It’s droney, ambient and true to the experimental genre. … read more
Local Review: Bird Watcher – The Luna Sessions
In the ghetto, a “Bird Watcher” means something totally different than this sonically adventurous, emotionally distraught collection of songs from these shape-shifting Ogden musicians. I would know because Cincinnati has ghettos. … read more
Local Review: Ben Q. Best – Apricot Exorcist
Though his songs are tinged with a kind of delicate earnestness, Ben Q Best excels most in his ability to craft unique melodic passages that carry the darker themes of this album. His voice warbles and wanes through layers of shoegazey post-rock and quiet piano passages. … read more
Local Review: Bat Manors – Literally Weird
Bat Manors are the latest in the growing tradition of indie whisper-core bands from Provo with punny names who manage to transcend their silly titles with some really great songs. … read more
August 2014 Local Music Reviews
Local reviews for Bat Manors, Ben Q. Best, Bird Watcher, Christopher Alvarado, Dwellers, Masked Epsilon, Mkaio, DJ Sparx, Strong Words, Tiger Fang and more. … read more
Local Review: Visitors – Blueshift
Visitors Blueshift Self-Released Street: 06.20 Visitors = Deftones + Rush Rarely does an EP sound so much like a full-fledged album. Musical offerings of such satisfying integrity do not hatch, fully formed, by sheer happenstance. Blueshift combines fist-sized chunks of aboriginal talent with months of coffee-addicted, all-night hunkering sessions, to yield prog metal that feels
Local Review: VISTAAS – Sunkhronos
VISTAAS Sunkhronos Self-Released Street: 01.14 VISTAAS = Pierre Schaeffer + Oneohtrix Point Never Sunkhronos is a sample-heavy, cut-up work. This record has the feel of a found cassette in sections—the rare type where ferric tape hiss actually adds to the musicality. I would refer to it as musique concrète more readily than, say, a beat
Local Review: Sam Page – The Slog in Uncertainty
Sam Page The Slog In Uncertainty Self-Released Street: 05.01 Sam Page = Pixies + Placebo + The Red Hot Chili Peppers The blind passion and talent for melody that came out of the early ’90s summarizes this album completely. The fact that it’s the brainchild of a Utahn just makes my music geek heart sing.
