Music
SLUG Magazine’s collection of reviews covering the latest and greatest of Utah-based music, covering all varieties of genre, style and type.
Local Reviews: Muscle Hawk
This band is fucking hot to trot. Two guys on synths/computers plus one lady on the drums formulates the perfect combination for a dance party. There is a reason one of their songs is called “Cocaine,” because MH is audio base. … read more
Local Reviews: The Mighty Curse
Admittedly, I was a bit confused when I first spun the latest EP from Salt Lake City’s The Mighty Curse. It is a mishmash of styles, and the vocals are so obviously bad that you know even the members probably laugh at them. The first thing I should have done was the last thing I did, and that was go to their MySpace page. … read more
Local Reviews: Jacket Weather/ The Highwire Act/ I Hear Sirens
Three different bands (no side projects of one musician) separately recorded three songs and then combined their efforts to put out a well-polished and goodlooking album. Jacket Weather is a culmination of four talented guys who listen to a lot of The Promise Ring or Stella Brass. … read more
Local Reviews: Big Gun Baby
This five-song EP contains three original tracks and two remixes. Big Gun Baby is run by two members – Jaycee, who is in charge of the sexy singing over the drum track beats and Greame, who provides the power chord guitar. The three songs definitely have a late-nineties dance rock vibe to them. … read more
Local Reviews: To The Death
Now, as high as that equation set your expectations, take a minute and come down a little. I’ll admit, at first I was ready to write this band as of yet another alt-rock/pop band, but ironically while most bands put their best tracks first and last, all the good ones are hidden in the middle. … read more
Local Reviews: Starmy
Utah was ready for this album in 2007. Two years later and after the first listen, it wasn’t as huge as I expected. … read more
Local Reviews: Riots of Eighty
Christian Hardcore is probably the lamest genre of music that has ever been invented. I mean come on, screaming about faith and god and being all angry about it? Seriously? … read more
Local Reviews: Paul Jacobsen and the Madison Arm
I first heard Paul Jacobsen a while back on the Slowtrain compilation, Around The Bend, and fell in love with his featured track, “Lung.” When I got my hands on the full-length and figured out why that opening track was so familiar, I kept my fingers crossed and kept listening. Not only does Jacobsen deliver, he exceeds my expectations. … read more
Local Reviews: The Naked Eyes
Using their first release, Free and Easy, as a solid point to base jump off makes this local three-piece’s latest efforts a great follow-up to their previous grounded approach. As they continue to refine their signature style it seems they have no hinderance in the creative flow they’ve coddled––and are now unleashing it on The West. … read more
Local Reviews: Illegal Beagle
Hey, non-traditional ska bands in Utah: this is how you’re supposed to be doing it. The members of Illegal Beagle seem to have ignored nearly all of the ska made during their lifetimes and pick it up right after the two-tone movement, injecting an urgency and attitude into ska while keeping the rhythm in tact. … read more