February 2014
Local Review: Charles Ellsworth & Vincent Draper – Salt Lake...
These two like-minded folk singer/songwriters have been helping each other with music projects for a while now, so a split record seems quite in order. … read more
Local Review: Bellrave – No Heart To Cross
During my first listen, I wrote it off as another over-synthesized pop album and wasn’t looking forward to hearing it again. However, the more I listened to the album and was able to focus on the beats of each instrument, I realized it was actually very creative and well done. … read more
Local Review: Ben Best & Karl Jørgensen – 2
Coming on the heels of a well-received 2012 collaboration, Utah County’s finest sonic pioneers and purveyors of structural, minimal, experimental music regain that same magic in their aptly titled album, 2. … read more
Review: Empire Before All – Destruction
Their style harkens back to the golden days of metalcore, albeit a little more on the thick end, grabbing influence from the generation bands like Emmure and The Dead Lay Waiting. The melody, the rage, the swampy breakdown, and the smart licks all add up to an addictive listen. … read more
Review: Enabler – Flies EP
Flies contains all the atmospheric weight, nuance and rage of a full-on heavy metal epic, manhandled into six cohesive cuts. The discordant strains of genre definers From Ashes Rise lie in the off-kilter melodies of “Shift” and “Flies,” but the band hits their stride when they slow the gallop and strut their thunderous grooves. … read more
Review: Doug Keith – Pony
Namely, the best track on the album, “Pure Gold in the ’70s,” rips at the seams midway and bursts open with a J Mascis guitar solo, and from there, the track is a pure slacker anthem, a salute to the children of the ’70s. Pony also has more than enough warmth and attitude to get me through winter. … read more
Review: Earthless – From The Ages
This is “Free Bird” entered through the outro. Imagine—a dozen layers deep in stoner blues—forgetting there was ever a verse or chorus, or ever any vocals at all, even air to breathe. Imagine tossing the whole structural fuckload and just soloing in brazen différance. To consider this is to glimpse the errance of From The Ages. … read more
Review: East India Youth – Total Strife Forever
In between up-tempo, heavily synthesized electronic piano melodies, the debut album from this English producer tells a musical story⎯as should any good album. Songs like “Dripping Down” and “Looking for Someone” provide a break from the otherwise relaxing and saddening feel to the album. … read more
Review: Divider – Minimal Distraction EP
Divider’s new EP, Minimal Distraction, sidestepped the mainstream approach to EBM and pulled from the traditional era of the mid-’80s early-’90s electronic sound. The dark, surrounding electronic beat enhanced by the vocals creates an atmosphere of aggression and anxiety. … read more
Review: Dengue Fever – Girl from the North
The tunes are Eastern-ized Western pop, re-Westernized for a new generation—got that? Truly, what they’ve done is really lovely. The music is twinkly and light, and the vocals are enchantingly foreign (female vocalist Chom Nimol generally sings in her native Khmer). … read more
Review: Dam-Funk & Snoopzilla – 7 Days Of Funk
Snoop does his best to channel Funk legend Bootsy Collins, aka Bootzilla, but he’s a better rapper than crooner—unlike Dam, who brings a funk prowess when he vocalizes, which doesn’t happen enough on the album. I certainly dig 7 Days Of Funk, but it’s more of a novelty record than a classic. … read more
Review: Corpsessed – Abysmal Thresholds
This album, the first full-length from this Finnish death metal band, is just unrelentingly brutal. Songs travel the gradient between suffocating sludge and insane tempo, with some sporadic keyboard elements that soften certain moments without sacrificing the horrific atmosphere. … read more
