A local band making the decision to utilize what sounds like Russian lyrics on an opening track= balls. Some members of the Utah community would be miffed if an intro track didn’t have some entirely English reference to how much they love God and/or how much they love their country. … read more
Local Reviews: Ben Johnson
Oh my! I don’t know what I was expecting with this CD … actually, I thought it was going to be second-rate, diluted folk music; something about the calligraphy font on the front cover. But the album opens up with a big, classy, big band-era sounding rock extravaganza and goes on from there to 40s and 50s crooner hits with “fun” pschedelia thrown in (think Flaming Lips, not Jefferson Airplane). … read more
Local Reviews: Die Monster Die
Die Monster Die has truly become a staple of Salt Lake’s underground scene. They play on a fairly regular basis and release a record every now and then. Their metal-laden horror punk is fun and creepy, but they’ve never really stepped above the regular horror punk sludge that inhabits the music collection of anyone who wishes there were more Misfits’ records. … read more
Local Reviews: Dirty Uncle Davey
Dirty Uncle Davey is all you could expect from a synth-based noise band, long droney tracks of feedback and mysterious sounding tones meandering through dimensionless matter. What is great about this release and most really good noise music is that it steps into your subconscious and plays a few tricks on you, the biggest being that of time confusion. … read more
Local Reviews: Invaders
It’s not very often I’ll get a tasty treat of chunky doom from our local bands, but holy shit, Invaders has nailed it. This humble little EP pounds three songs of heaviness into your pink, supple little ear drums without regard for whether or not you like them. As DIY as the release appears, the production is extremely high quality without much feeling of intrusive digital polish, which can often sacrifice that sweet atmospheric buzz you feel in the back of your throat. … read more
Local Reviews: Mushman
If I didn’t already, now I certainly feel like a child. There must be a secret to make an album friendly and inviting, and Mushman’s got the ingredients. Step 1: Start off with lovely acoustic guitars. Step 2: Add in a clarinet, harmonica and some keys. Step 3: Mix gently with sweet melodies and vocals, and last, but not least, Step 4: The “special” sauce, a local twist. … read more
Slamdance Film Review: Sunnyside
Two very eccentric, elderly men who are quasi-neighbors and buddies in Northern California—one a sound-designer, the other an anarcho-architect—go about their business, talking everything and anything with whatever Carbon happened to catch on film. … read more
Slamdance Film Review: Mr. Fish: Cartooning from the Deep End
The best of art comes from the creation that follows destruction. Mr. Fish: Cartooning From The Deep End is a documentary full of raw, ugly, animated humanity that respects that tension. … read more
Slamdance Film Review: Man on Fire
With information moving at unprecedented speeds and the concept of truth becoming increasingly distorted, definitive and drastic actions speak louder than ever. Such is the case with reverend Charles Moore, the subject of Joel Fendelman’s new documentary. … read more
Slamdance Film Review: Mexman
Germán Alonso’s main project is Mexman, an idea Alonso first worked on for his senior thesis at USC. It’s a crazy story—one about a Mexican immigrant who comes to America for a better future, who then dies unexpectedly and is subsequently turned into a “cyborg slave.” … read more
Slamdance Film Review: Instant Dreams
In this visual essay, Baptist mirrors the power of photography, fixating on the Polaroid as not only an artistic medium, but also a decisive technology and cultural document, a record of time that continually develops and evolves with the contemporary world. … read more
Slamdance Film Review: Ingrid
After so many years of being an urban creative and mother, Ingrid Gipson traded her life in Texas to pursue a more lonesome one in Oklahoma, where she could surround herself with creative projects and nature, as well as her own independence and creativity. … read more
