Local Music Singles Roundup: February 2025
Local Music Reviews
I’ll fess up — I wasn’t alive when any of these songs came out. But no man (they/them) is an island, so I’ve called upon some of SLC’s oldheads who helped me find some of the freshest (25-plus-year-old) tracks from Utah’s golden era. Dip in and do your homework.
Bad Yodelers
“I Wonder”
Running Records
Street: 04.27.1991
Bad Yodelers = Jawbreaker + Pantera
Formed in the yesteryear of 1983, Salt Lake City punk band Bad Yodelers went through highs and lows, as any band does. Some of these highs included selling out local shows through their cassette-only releases — unfortunately bringing us back to a low of losing their vocalist at the time, Karl Alvarez, to legendary punk project Descendents. The Yodelers went on to have a whopping eight different vocalists throughout their history, eventually landing on Terrence DH, who would finish out their two studio albums — “I Wonder” becoming one of their most notable tracks. The opening of the track almost feels like “Stairway to Heaven,” if it was written by Pantera with their chugging guitars. The vocals remind me of the Fontaines D.C. track “Jackie Down The Line” if it met Frank Iero’s soft singing era or Blake Schwarzenbach of Jawbreaker. Super cool reversed instrumentation adds a psychedelic aura to the production as well, along with sweeping tempo changes. The song is as raw and ahead of its time as the Bad Yodelers were. —Jake Fabbri
Da Neighbors
“Part One”
L.A. East Studios
Street: 12.31.1990
Da Neighbors = Phantom Planet + Billy Bragg and Wilco’s Mermaid Avenue
Despite its bland title, “Part One” by Da Neighbors is plucky, profound and more than just a little wacky. Over a distorted guitar buzzing like a musical mosquito and a bassline that calls you to somehow skank and square dance at the same time, singer Mike Graves wails through heady, philosophical lyrics about how humans are together in this life and have a responsibility to care for each other because we’re otherwise alone. This message is made abundantly clear when Graves — with a theatrically exaggerated reverb effect — sings “God said, ‘Save yourself!’” Our cosmic loneliness isn’t as bad as it sounds, though. As Graves croons toward the end of the song, it ultimately means that “We’re all free.” This song served as the opening track for Da Neighbors’ adventurous and energetic second album Fischer Towers, which you can check out in its entirety on Bandcamp. —Joe Roberts
Furthermore
“Are You The Walrus?”
Tooth and Nail Records
Street: 11.23.1999
Furthermore = Oasis + MF Doom X Nick At Nite
My first-ever SLUG review was of the album You Ever Contemplated the Orcas? by Chance Lewis & Donnie Bonelli. The question Furthermore asked with this song title is eerily similar, as both refer to large aquatic mammals. As Gregory Colbert says, “The whales do not sing because they have an answer, they sing because they have a song.” I don’t think either of these bands have the answer to what the hell has happened in the last 25 years, but damn, do they sing! This song is one part sophistication, two parts goofy goober shenanigans. It introduces itself with elementary piano chords until the bass and beat hit, at which point the layered instrumentals become a jaunty tune. Later, jingle bells and chimes are added, creating a jolly atmosphere. There is a staccato to the way each line is delivered; the diction feels like you could see the words being printed on the inside of your brain like closed captions. It warms my heart to know that experimental hip-hop has existed in Utah for a while and continues to thrive in its own whimsical niche. —Marzia Thomas
Iceburn
“Iron – Ⅰ”
Revelation Records
Street: 07.14.1993
Iceburn = KoRn + Primus
The whimsical yet avant-garde sound of Iceburn’s “Iron – Ⅰ” leaves an impactful taste of what it’s like to combine funk, jazz and metal all in one. From the dynamic bass lines to the heavily distorted guitar riffs, Iceburn’s concept album Hephaestus contains elements of funk and jazz, but it also carries abrasive and dissonant notes. “Iron – Ⅰ” can be compared to Primus’ “My Name Is Mud,” as both tracks not only break the normalcy of a typical metal song, but they make one feel as if a Looney Tunes cartoon came to life in the form of a song. The vocals on the track are homogenous, husky and angry, as the pitch dynamics change throughout — only making Iceburn much more unique in their sound. Forming in the ‘90s, Iceburn’s “Iron – Ⅰ” had set in stone the band’s contrasting style from other typical metal released during this time, making this song an unobscure gem to discover. —Litzi Estrada
Matt Flinner
“Black’s Fork”
Compass Records
Street: 02.17.1998
Matt Flinner = Old Crow Medicine Show + Alison Kraus & Union Station + Yonder Mountain String Band
There are those that worship at the altar of blazing banjos, masterful mandolins and fabulous fiddling, but then there’s the vast majority of the populous that has never heard a note of bluegrass. Though there are a few progressive outliers like Trampled by Turtles, for the most part, tradition is the overarching theme that runs through the genre. This jaunty instrumental feels light and fresh even 25-plus years on and, though it’s very firmly in the center of the bluegrass genre, you can hear some Irish folk influence as well. Bluegrass instrumentals tend to just feature the different musicians taking turns soloing, and there’s plenty of ripping picking, but nothing feels forced and the flow from one solo to another is seamless. Mandolin and banjo player Matt Flinner has been dazzling audiences for more than 30 years and has gone from playing on his father’s morning radio show on KRCL at just 12 years old to becoming a widely respected musician. —James Orme
My Sister Jane
“New Amsterdam”
My Sister Jane
Street: 03.01.1994
My Sister Jane = (Cowboy Junkies + Sheryl Crow) / AJJ
From the quintet’s final album Big Dirt, My Sister Jane’s “New Amsterdam” is a delightfully moody sampler plate of ‘90s sound. It’s a little bit Sheryl Crow’s “If It Makes You Happy,” a little bit Alanis Morisette’s “Hand in My Pocket,” a little bit Neutral Milk Hotel’s “King of Carrot Flowers, Pt. 1,” a little bit The Cranberries’ “Yeats’ Grave” and a little bit My Sister Jane’s own unique lyric storytelling. “New Amsterdam” is a murder ballad, complete with wailing electric guitars as getaway train horns and clattering drums, painting a portrait of a grim New York City. “One poor lost boy / Who won’t be home / Who’s underground / The catacombs / Like this dark train / I’m moving on,” goes the second verse, before bearing into a semi-rasped chorus. My Sister Jane, composed of Martha Bourne, Julie Lueders (1956-2004), Sally Shaum, Shelley White and Trace Wiren, disbanded following the Big Dirt album. Perhaps this explains the funerary feelings that permeate these tracks, “New Amsterdam” chief among them, in dark and delicious ways. –Libby Leonard
Read more Local Music Singles Roundups:
Local Music Singles Roundup: January 2025
Local Music Singles Roundup: December 2024