Issues: Issue 297 - September 2013
Local Review: Orem Owls – Index
Orem Owls Index Hel Audio Street: 04.07 Orem Owls = Oneohtrix Point Never + Ben Best & Karl Jørgensen + Neotantrik I appreciate the work that Hel Audio is doing, quite a bit. It is a local label supporting fringe music, such as that made by Orem Owls, with several artists regularly participating in showcases
Local Review: Pentagraham Crackers – Live! From the Palace of...
Pentagraham Crackers Live! From the Palace of Payne Chthonic Records Street: 05.31 Pentagraham Crackers = Dan Sartain + The Mr. T Experience The fluid tempo and mood in Live! From the Palace of Payne flow from upbeat in one track, to depressive and longing in another. The genre seems fluid, too, and pinning it down
Local Review: Lady Murasaki – Summer Fling
Lady Murasaki Summer Fling Self-Released Street: 06.02 Lady Murasaki= Real Estate + The Cardigans Turn on your sprinklers, kick off your shoes and play this EP from the porch as you cool down from this summer. Day or night, these songs consistently put me at ease in beyond-comfortable blazing temperatures. Lady Murasaki have outdone
Local Review: I Hear Sirens – Between Consciousness and Sleep
I Hear Sirens Between Consciousness and Sleep Lyre Records Street: 06.22 I Hear Sirens = Mogwai + Daturah + Explosions in the Sky Between consciousness and sleep—that sounds about right for this album. I am not saying that I Hear Sirens are boring—what I am saying is that this album dwells in the twilight,
Local Review: In Color – Love The World/Hate The World
In Color Love the World/Hate the World Self-Released Street: 03.21 In Color = Oasis + The Wallflowers + Imagine Dragons There’s something very comforting about the consistent style with which the 10 songs on this album are written. There is a great flow within each song, which is due to quality songwriting, and between
Local Review: Filth Lords – Keep On Snarlin’
Filth Lords Keep On Snarlin’ Self-Released Street Date: 12.20.12 Filth Lords = Kid Dynamite + Police-era Fucked Up + Guilt Lust Keep On Snarlin’ is kinda ruddy. It buries the frothy bawl of singer/axeman Alex Ortega ‘neath a thick lacquer of Nick Harris’ throbbing basslines, Swiz drums from Rio Connelly and frenetic gee-tar noodling, and
Local Review: Get Stakerized! – Self-Titled EP
Get Stakerized! Self-Titled EP Midnight Records Street: 04.28 Get Stakerized! = Dinosaur-era Dinosaur Jr. x Locust Abortion Technician-era Butthole Surfers After finishing the first listen of Get Stakerized!, I became paranoid. I was unsure whether Get Stakerized! was serious, or if the album is just an experiment to see what sort of hifalutin stretch they
Local Review: Ether – Archive: Unreleased Recordings 1993–2013
Ether Archive: Unreleased Recordings 1993–2013 8ctopus Records Street: 06.14 Ether = Grails + Sunn O))) + Can I was unfamiliar with Ether prior to receiving Archives for review. Fortunately, that unfamiliarity has been remedied. This double-disc, 20-year retrospective contains some impressively exploratory psychedelic noise, but is best heard over a few sittings—as the improvisationally long-winded
Local Review: Famous Relatives – Electric Signals
Famous Relatives Electric Signals Tush Records Street: 05.31 Famous Relatives = Phoenix + Foster the People + MGMT The combination of indie pop and electronically made beats gives Electric Signals that late-summer-afternoon-concert feel. The relaxing, synthesized vocals and blended mix of sounds in tracks like “Painted Picture” and “Sidewalks” remind me a lot of
Local Review: Clay – Building Blocks
Clay Building Blocks Self-Released Street: 05.31 Clay = The Glitch Mob + CocoRosie I liked the funky, slow electronic sound that Clay put together for this album. However, the wide variety of sounds made it seem weird—the songs would go back and forth from experimental electronic to jazz. I liked the track “Arctic Anthem” because