Issues: Issue 319 - July 2015
Local Review: Folk Hogan – The Show
Folk Hogan The Show Self-Released Street: 04.10 Folk Hogan = Oingo Boingo + Tom Waits + In Extremo Folk Hogan have chosen an entirely new direction. The Show is a concept album centered on a nightmarish allegory of a troupe of carnival workers who feel trapped and resort to mayhem. With their signature quirkiness marinated
Local Review: False Witness – Ascent To Chaos
False Witness Ascent To Chaos Self-Released Street: 03.28 False Witness = Avenged Sevenfold + Mudvayne + Sepultura Upon first listen to False Witness and their album Ascent To Chaos, I felt that I was handed another generic melodic metalcore release within the “paint by numbers” realm. After the fourth listen, I realized that I was
Local Review: Crook & The Bluff – Down To The...
Crook & the Bluff Down to the Styx Self-Released Street: 01.13 Crook & the Bluff = Those Poor Bastards + Lydia Lunch & Cypress Grove Down to the Styx is a rise and fall of a drawn-out song—eroded down to the twang of the guitar and redolent of all psychedelic hearts longing for the Southwestern desert.
Local Review: Cult Leader – Useless Animal EP
Cult Leader Useless Animal EP Deathwish Inc Street: 06.16 Cult Leader = Converge + Coalesce On the heels of the acclaimed debut Nothing For Us Here comes this tiny but crushing EP to grind the lesser music out of your ears. Both “Useless Animal” and “Gutter Gods” are short tracks, like brutal slashes with rusty
Local Review: Black Jupiter – Salvation in a Self-Destructive World...
Black Jupiter Salvation in a Self-Destructive World EP Self-Released Street: 01.16 Black Jupiter = A Perfect Circle + Radiohead + Pink Floyd It was so wonderful to listen to such a calm and gripping strut through the melodic wanderings of Black Jupiter’s EP, Salvation in a Self-Destructive World. The heavily instrumental album takes me back to nights
Local Review: Batty Blue – Ekphrasis
Batty Blue Ekphrasis Self-Released Street: 01.17 Batty Blue = Amelie soundtrack + Laura Marling There’s an oversaturation of folk bands in Provo, but this album is charming and off-beat enough from the typically clean-cut music of Happy Valley to stand alone. It rubs into you nicely— like a good sweater from the D.I. Soft accordion is
Local Review: Artificial Flower Company – Creamium
Artificial Flower Company Creamium Self-Released Street: 03.16 The Artificial Flower Company = 90s Television + Delicate Steve TAFC are an experimental project out of Provo who give old and new pop influences unexpected flavors within a low-budget recording style. For me, most lo-fi music sounds endear- ing. However, TAFC have a certain cabaret panache in this
Local Review: 100 Mile House – Self-Titled
100 Mile House Self-Titled Self-Released Street: 03.06 100 Mile House = American Football + Minus the Bear On my first listen through this EP, I thought, “I bet these guys like Ameri- can Football and Minus the Bear.” Then I went to their Facebook page and saw that under “influences,” they list those two bands …
Local Review: 90s Television – Bad 4 the Tooth
90s Television Bad 4 the Tooth Self-Released Street: 12.12.14 90s Television = Animal Collective + Devendra Banhart + The Strokes Bad 4 the Tooth is a seven-track collection of burned-out, sleepy tunes that sway nicely across bizarre landscapes. With a name like 90s Television, I’ll admit that I had nostalgically charged expectations. However, their style
Review: Girlpool – Before The World Was Big
Girlpool Before The World Was Big Wichita Recordings Street: 06.02 Girlpool = Vivian Girls + Juliana Hatfield Much like the little-kid world illustrated on the cover of the album, Before The World Was Big, the debut full-length by duo Girlpool is a colorful, nostalgic and stripped-down work that steadfastly holds the hand of that scared,