Improvised music is a delicate act. You must have the right balance of ideas, skills, and genuinely powerful results lest you come off as too academic or too amateurish. This collection of improvised pieces by Michael Biggs and Matthew Munn, members of the Davis County A. Star music/art/etc. collective left me screaming “quality control” at the top of my lungs. … read more
Local Reviews: Misty Murphy
Being a huge Darling Violetta fan, I fell for this album from the second I started listening. Very much a black pop album, you get hints of sitar and heavy-handed piano accompaniment that fully play up the otherworldly sound of Murphy’s voice. … read more
Local Reviews: Nolens Volens & NJ Foster
Nick “is that a Max/MSP patch?” and Andrew “I record everything in the red” Glassett is the creative duo behind this release, a tour du musique electronique, Pierre Schaeffer to Klaxons. … read more
Local Reviews: Paper Cranes
I admit to not having heard the source material for this collection of remixes, but I gather from a 2006 (yes, this is two years old, apparently the A. Star PR machine is a little rusty) SLUG review that it’s noisy dance-rock a la early Liars. … read more
Local Reviews: Patter Stats
From the sound of it, this is the sort of band you have to see live to get a good feel for them, because it takes some effort to get over the “dude-in-a-basement” quality level of recording here before you can really get into this album. … read more
Local Reviews: Separation of Self
Separation of Self fit right in with the New Wave of American Heavy Metal, a scene that is huge not only in the U.S. but all over the world. Resolve is one of those albums that like the style or not you cannot deny that the band is extremely good at what they do. At first I was turned off by the style of the band, but now it’s caught on in my head and I find myself singing along to some of the ultra-catchy choruses. … read more
Local Reviews: S.S.
If you were to classify S.S. I Am The as a metal band, the first thing you’d have to realize is how much more melodic they are compared their wail-and-thrash brethren. They have a dark sound, but the melodies are almost ethereal: dreamy, and virtually intoxicating, even when the song turns heavy. … read more
Local Reviews: The VCR Quintet
Like much of Ikue Mori’s pre-laptop, dual drum-machine work and Autechre’s slowly deteriorating sequences on their Untilted album, Joe Greathouse’s (aka Thrillhouse) VCR5 project works in a rhizomic fashion. … read more
Local Reviews: Written in Fire
There is a great progressive metal scene in Utah and Written in Fire is just one of the many bands showcasing that scene. This four-song demo isn’t a short one with lengthy tunes averaging over seven minutes each. Upon first listen one might think that the production is poor, but first listens are just that. The production reflects a huge old school metal style. … read more
Local Reviews: Cherubin
What locals Cherubin have submitted here can be summed up pretty quickly: metalcore. I am not a fan of metalcore. It’s because of these guys (and the current “state” of Utah music, in general) that I’m able to see why the rest of the country feels we’re 10 years behind them. … read more
Slamdance Film Review: CHARLIE AND HANNAH’S GRAND NIGHT OUT
Charlie and Hannah’s Grand Night Out is as fun, strange and magical as the title implies. It starts off in a fairly ordinary fashion, introducing Charlie (Evelien Bosmans) and Hannah (Daphne Wellens), best friends in their mid-20s on their way to a house party with friends. … read more
Slamdance Film Review: Birds Without Feathers
Birds Without Feathers is the tale of six strangers whose lives intersect and collide in delusional episodes where people manage to interact despite existing in completely different paradigms. … read more
