Music
Local Reviews: Erin Barra
An SLC-native musician we can all be proud to call one of our own, Erin Barra has it—that “je ne sais quois,” as the French say. Star-fucking-quality, just to be clear. Illusions, her sophomore release, is top-notch shit. … read more
Local Reviews: Dirty Blonde
Dirty Blonde is an all-out fist fight, and someone just got cut with a bottle of Bud. I can’t hear this band without thinking of the movie Road House. This EP is a piece of straightforward, bar rock n’ roll. On track one, “See You Next Tuesday,” singer Spencer Flowers belts out the following little love note: “Cool heartbreaker, there’s a special place in hell for you!” followed by a rippin’ guitar solo. The band does a good job of keeping the energy up. … read more
Local Reviews: David Williams
This is the soundtrack that finally completed the film Parade, written in 2005 and shown in festivals in 2008. Writer and director Brandon Cahoon had been looking for just the right music to go with his film, and having heard David Williams’ music at Slowtrain, commissioned him to write the score. … read more
Local Reviews: CastleAxe – Castlemaster
Hark! CastleAxe (formerly Speitre) hath returned with their brand of classic heavy metal, melded with bludgeoning blows of thrash. As the hilt supports the blade, so does Grög’s rhythm guitar with Hölger’s steel-soldered leads in euphonious synchrony … read more
Local Reviews: CastleAxe
Hark! CastleAxe (formerly Speitre) hath returned with their brand of classic heavy metal, melded with bludgeoning blows of thrash. As the hilt supports the blade, so does Grög’s rhythm guitar with Hölger’s steel-soldered leads in euphonious synchrony … read more
Local Reviews: Baby Ghosts
When I saw Baby Ghosts, the singer was wearing a Yoshi backpack and standing next to a three-foot tall Crayola crayon. This juvenile attitude carries into their lyrics about Stephen Hawking not being able to walk: “Maybe you should just try a little bit harder; I mean, it’s pretty easy to walk.” … read more
Local Reviews: Young Mindz
With The Milky Blaze, Young Mindz aren’t saying anything that wasn’t said 15 years ago. The opening track, “Young Mindz,” features monotonous letter-for-letter chanting of the group name, lyrics about hyping the crowd, dissing other rappers and the usual self-promoting themes. … read more
Local Reviews: Spell Talk
Salt Lake City seems like the last place anyone would expect to hear tunes like Spell Talk’s most recent LP, but this combination of minimal, mellow blues and psychedelic haziness feels like a hot summer day in the valley. Punctuated by Jared Phelps’ half-shouted singing, Touch It! sounds like it was recorded in a concrete basement, with every tremulous note aching out of Andrew Milne’s tortured guitar bouncing off the walls in a strange, hypnotic fashion. … read more
Local Reviews: The Saintanne
The Saintanne is an interesting hodgepodge of styles and a rarity in the Utah scene. Their performance at a recent Localized at Urban Lounge was more thematic than musically engaging, which isn’t a bad thing. … read more
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: Parallax
Mediums and Messages was originally released on CD in 2006, shortly after the tragic death of Parallax vocalist Blake Donner. Five years later, the band is reissuing the album on vinyl and playing one final show in Provo (with Jeff Jensen, who filled in on vocals for a year following Donner’s passing) before laying Parallax to rest. … read more
Local Reviews: The Moth & The Flame
As a duo that thrives on the subtlety of ambient and fragile song structures, the presence of percussion on the album was unexpected. The songs definitely benefit from the addition of drums, and some still maintain that gentle, icy sound even with crashing cymbals in the background. … read more
