SLUG Magazine’s collection of reviews covering the latest and greatest of Utah-based music, covering all varieties of genre, style and type.

Local Review: Scabs On Strike – Scabs On Strike II: Just Friends

Local Review: Scabs On Strike – Scabs On Strike II:...
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Scabs on Strike Scabs on Strike II: Just Friends Voodoo Dog Street: 08.21.10 Scabs on Strike = Pavement + Blacklist Co-operative + Bloodworm   A part of the SLC music scene for 15 years, Scabs on Strike are currently a two-piece, with Jeff Baker on drums and Dan Morley doing almost everything else. This album,

Local Review: Rule Of The Bone – Self-Titled

Local Review: Rule Of The Bone – Self-Titled
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Rule of the Bone Self-Titled Self-Released Street: 02.28 Rule of the Bone = Bon Scott–era AC/DC + BTO + Fu Manchu This is three brothers and a drummer who transplanted to SLC from Alaska in search of “more sunshine and a greater woman-to-man ratio.” You can’t make this up. Their debut is a loose goose

Local Review: The Red Light Commandos – Self-Titled

Local Review: The Red Light Commandos – Self-Titled
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The Red Light Commandos Self-Titled Self-Released Street: 06.02 The Red Light Commandos = Incubus + The Mars Volta I am incredibly torn on how to represent this album. With heavy, blues-influenced progressive rock, soft and soothing vocal stylings sound both forced and discordant. For moments in every song, you can hear the vocalist singing in

Local Review: Reaper The Storyteller – Trilogy

Local Review: Reaper The Storyteller – Trilogy
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Reaper the Storyteller Trilogy Self-Released Street: 05.11 Reaper the Storyteller = Outkast + The Roots + 2pac   The mantra that Reaper the Storyteller imposes on himself is no lie. His subject matter is the stuff of true substance. Oftentimes, hip hop focuses on inflating the ego, smoking dank weed and fucking mad bitches. The

Local Review: Ready The Rockets – Self-Titled

Local Review: Ready The Rockets – Self-Titled
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Ready The Rockets Self-Titled Self-Released Street: 04.21 Ready The Rockets = Screaming Trees + R.E.M. + Pearl Jam   This six-song release is concise and nicely executed. The musicians that comprise Ready The Rockets each contribute their instrument well and the vocals complete the material nicely. Overall, the album seems to be a nod to

Local Review: Pentagraham Crackers – Live! From the Palace of Payne

Local Review: Pentagraham Crackers – Live! From the Palace of...
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Pentagraham Crackers Live! From the Palace of Payne Chthonic Records Street: 05.31 Pentagraham Crackers = Dan Sartain + The Mr. T Experience The fluid tempo and mood in Live! From the Palace of Payne flow from upbeat in one track, to depressive and longing in another. The genre seems fluid, too, and pinning it down

Local Review: Orem Owls – Index

Local Review: Orem Owls – Index
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Orem Owls Index Hel Audio Street: 04.07 Orem Owls = Oneohtrix Point Never + Ben Best & Karl Jørgensen + Neotantrik I appreciate the work that Hel Audio is doing, quite a bit. It is a local label supporting fringe music, such as that made by Orem Owls, with several artists regularly participating in showcases

Local Review: Officer Jenny – The Gods Must Be Giddy, a Gaggle of Unexceptional Songs Written for Unexceptional People

Local Review: Officer Jenny – The Gods Must Be Giddy,...
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Officer Jenny The Gods Must Be Giddy, a Gaggle of Unexceptional Songs Written for Unexceptional People Self-Released Street: 05.31 Officer Jenny = Sufjan Stevens + The Shins   Provo’s Stephen Cope, who performs under the Pokémon-inspired moniker, Officer Jenny, offers up an understated, personal and, at times, campy album in his debut. Gods starts off

Local Review: The Lazy Waves – Spring Fling

Local Review: The Lazy Waves – Spring Fling
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The Lazy Waves Spring Fling Self-Released Street: 04.23 The Lazy Waves = Danger Mouse + Daniele Luppi + Electric Guest The last we heard from Daniel Fischer—aka Fisch—and company, we were gifted a delightful holiday track on Christmas Eve 2011. Their latest offering is the lush, mesmerizing, sexy-as-shit three-track Spring Fling. The laid-back, beat-driven track,

Local Review: Lady Murasaki – Summer Fling

Local Review: Lady Murasaki – Summer Fling
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Lady Murasaki Summer Fling Self-Released Street: 06.02 Lady Murasaki= Real Estate + The Cardigans   Turn on your sprinklers, kick off your shoes and play this EP from the porch as you cool down from this summer. Day or night, these songs consistently put me at ease in beyond-comfortable blazing temperatures. Lady Murasaki have outdone