After waiting for roughly a year and a half, this split LP has finally dropped, and boy howdy, it’s a fucking doozy. Seven songs apiece from SLC’s most under-appreciated band, All Systems Fail, and Venezuelan anarchists @patia No. The ASF side showcases songs that have been live favorites for a couple of years at least, and they sound absolutely brutal on this slab. … read more
Local Reviews: Blitzkrieg Witchcraft
Blitzkrieg Witchcraft continues digging at that crusty scab, coaxing a virulent anarcho-sludge blend to the surface, but opting for strained atmospherics over speed. “No Faith” is a wobbly intro that’s as doomy as it is unnecessary, but “Mais” picks it up, seething like a faster, sloppier Void practice tape. … read more
Local Reviews: Joshua Payne Orchestra
Zoom is going to be the record you put on the top of the pile, where your friends will be sure see it. Each jammy, heavily rhythmic, hooky tune is as good as or better than the last. You’ll find yourself humming melodies from “La La La” and “SLUG” as if they were lyric-less primary songs written for Miles Davis’ grandkids. … read more
Local Reviews: Mayson Lee and the Rock & Roll Space Studs
There’s ome pretty fun greasy pop punk with a little horror thrown in on the EP from Mayson Lee. At first I didn’t think much of the female fronted group—they sounded like a lot of other bands to me—but after a few listens, I was coming around and started to see that they may not be reinventing the wheel, but they do know how to get it spinning. … read more
Local Reviews: Baby Ghosts
When I saw Baby Ghosts, the singer was wearing a Yoshi backpack and standing next to a three-foot tall Crayola crayon. This juvenile attitude carries into their lyrics about Stephen Hawking not being able to walk: “Maybe you should just try a little bit harder; I mean, it’s pretty easy to walk.” … read more
Local Reviews: CastleAxe
Hark! CastleAxe (formerly Speitre) hath returned with their brand of classic heavy metal, melded with bludgeoning blows of thrash. As the hilt supports the blade, so does Grög’s rhythm guitar with Hölger’s steel-soldered leads in euphonious synchrony … read more
Local Reviews: David Williams
This is the soundtrack that finally completed the film Parade, written in 2005 and shown in festivals in 2008. Writer and director Brandon Cahoon had been looking for just the right music to go with his film, and having heard David Williams’ music at Slowtrain, commissioned him to write the score. … read more
Local Reviews: Dirty Blonde
Dirty Blonde is an all-out fist fight, and someone just got cut with a bottle of Bud. I can’t hear this band without thinking of the movie Road House. This EP is a piece of straightforward, bar rock n’ roll. On track one, “See You Next Tuesday,” singer Spencer Flowers belts out the following little love note: “Cool heartbreaker, there’s a special place in hell for you!” followed by a rippin’ guitar solo. The band does a good job of keeping the energy up. … read more
Local Reviews: Erin Barra
An SLC-native musician we can all be proud to call one of our own, Erin Barra has it—that “je ne sais quois,” as the French say. Star-fucking-quality, just to be clear. Illusions, her sophomore release, is top-notch shit. … read more
Local Reviews: Eyes Lips Eyes
Eyes Lips Eyes album is composed of the 12 singles that Eyes Lips Eyes released each month for an entire year. … read more
Local Reviews: The Future of The Ghost
Every member of the band The Future of the Ghost has been making music and friends in Utah for many years. That’s why it is not with a blessed heart, but with a heavy one, that I have to admit that I’m personally not a fan of the band’s new sound. … read more
Local Reviews: Long Distance Operator
Long Distance Operator mine the twilight years of hard rock before it devolved into butt rock. This is a good thing for those of us who happen to like proto-butt rock, and Long Distance Operator hit their metallic stride on the excellent “Torches.” … read more
