October 2013
Review: King Khan & The Shrines – Idle No More
Although Idle No More comes from a darker place than earlier Shrines work, the bulk of the album is celebratory. It melds the psychedelic soul sounds that the band is well known for with a gospel influence. … read more
Review: House of Black Lanterns – Kill The Lights
I would be in a trance-like state—then suddenly, I would be jarred and thrown into shock by a disturbing pipe organ sound that was something along the lines of the soundtrack of the classic 1974 movie, Phantom of the Paradise. … read more
Review: James LaBrie – Impermanent Resonance
The attempt here is to bridge the gap between prog-heads and fans of the more melodic style of melodic death à la Sweden. It works extremely well. … 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: Grave – Morbid Ascent
Slip on your mucky moshing shoes and live it up with this EP: five tracks of gritty, classic Swedish death to tide you over until the next full-length abomination from Grave. … read more
Local Review: Vincent Draper and the Dirty Thirty – SAM
I’d like to propose that the Vincent Draper sound become the official sound of Utah. It’s deeply rooted in folk traditions, but somehow manages to be fresh and original—it’s definitely earthy in its tone, and while you can hear influences from all over, it stands on its own. … read more
Local Review: The Moths – Self-Titled
The Moths are a Salt Lake band that merges the collective talents of Michael Sasich, Josh Dickson, Eli Morrison and Greg Midgely—and holy hell is it good. … read more
Local Review: Starbass – Self-Titled
Steve Comeau, a community-involved Canadian transplant, launches us to Starbass with a great collection of futuristic, danceable dubstep tracks. … read more
Local Review: Parlor Hawk – Self-Titled
For their second album, Provo’s Parlor Hawk looked to make a slight departure from the sound of Hoarse & Roaming—their 2010 Northplatte Records release that seemed heavily influenced by producer Joshua James—and dabble a bit more in the rock side of their indie rock/folk genre. … read more
Local Review: Pink Lightning – The Unbeatable Sound of Plastic
The Unbeatable Sound of Plastic, the second full-length record from Salt Lake’s Pink Lightning, straddles the line that separates gritty blues and ‘70s rock, and fucking breaks everything in between. … read more
Local Review: Moonlets & Ben Q Best – Moonlets/Ben Q...
Moonlet’s half of the split is my favorite, though I recommend listening to Moonlets/Ben Q Best as a whole. … read more
Local Review: Mideau – Self-Titled
Rising like something out of a dream, Mideau combine soft vocals with ethereal symphonic elements and mythical-sounding synthesizers to create a whimsical swirl of some of the dreamiest electro-pop you’ve ever heard. … read more
