SLUG-exclusive reviews of The Soft Moon, Insect Ark and others—look at the album-art collage for “clues.”
Local Reviews: Definit
The many chapters of Definit’s life have provided a wide array of experiences from which he constructs sincere rhymes. On this album he delves into religion, family drama, overdoses and the road to sobriety. As a sober member of the hip-hop community, you might assume that he’d be a little preachy, bur Definit rhymes about his experiences and his decisions, not about what anybody else should do. … read more
Local Reviews: �O Dear Sarcasm!
One of the coolest things about punk rock is that anyone can make it. However, since anyone can make punk rock, chances are someone has already said whatever you have to say. ODS have plenty to say, and they say it loud, fast and hard, but it just doesn’t stand out from the pack. … read more
Local Reviews: Opey Tailor
Opey Tailor’s been known to spit variations of gangster rap and even love songs and on his latest album he’s got G-NO of 801INT producing the tracks. Though Opey got his name from people who used to clown on his resemblance to the redheaded, Andy Griffith Show character, Opey Taylor, he’s more like the Dennis the Menace of rap and only cares about his “I don’t give a fuck” image. … read more
Local Reviews: Reviver
Maybe I don’t spend enough time in the community because Reviver had totally passed me by before I heard their debut album Versificator. They are yet another talented addition to the Exigent Records roster. Reviver members have been in previous local bands such as Cherem and Cool Your Jets making the band seasoned hardcore veterans. … read more
Local Reviews: SubRosa
When I first heard about SubRosa, I noticed their influences were made up of bands that I would drive, or have driven, hundreds of miles to see. Naturally, I was intrigued. Not only is the band a unique entity among the local scene, but they’re not exactly comparable to bands globally. With an all female lineup, these ladies deliver gloom and disdain in an extremely appealing package. … read more
Local Reviews: TaughtMe
It starts with a bang and ends with bangs and bells. A story unfolds throughout this earthy-electro album, and it’s one you’ll want to pay close attention to. At times it’s quiet, other times it’ll shout at you. There’s a dreamlike quality present throughout that makes you feel as if you’re drifting out to sea in a small paddle boat. You’re anxious for what awaits, but still, there’s a calm that wraps itself around you. … read more
Local Reviews: Tolchock Trio
As difficult as it is for an outsider to pin down exactly what Tolchock Trio sounds like, it is comforting to know that a similar problem may exist among the band itself. The liner notes mention that this album, the third full length by a band that doesn’t take the number three too seriously, has been in the works since the summer of 2006 (bordering on geologic time for local music). … read more
Sundance Film Review: Private Life
In Sundance premiere Private Life, Rachel (Kathryn Hahn) and Richard (Paul Giamatti) have become obsessed with getting pregnant. … read more
Book Review: Heatwave
The reader initially glances into Heatwave and instantly wants to pull the curtains shut. But author Zach Matheson’s sophomore novel sticks with us, so we pull the curtains back again and peer through its pages. We become consumed by its deviant behavior, its twisted tale. We’re the fly on the wall that can read minds. … read more
Want to support your scene and your cause? The Crook & the Bluff present This Machine Kills Fascists
Where will you be on Jan. 20, 2018, the one-year anniversary of Inauguration Day 2017? Hopefully, at the Urban Lounge at 8 p.m. with local psychedelic rock band Crook & The Bluff, who are rallying to host a protest concert titled This Machine Kills Fascists. … read more
Product Review: Smartwool – Merino 250 Crew
I needed a milder top that was also a bit less woollike in its texture—something that let me forget that I was wearing it, even. The Smartwool Merino 250 Baselayer Crew found its way to me, and it’s an impeccably comfortable base on which to build in a handful of effective ways.
