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: Red Bennies
SLC stalwarts Red Bennies have never sounded pretty. Their fuzzed-out blues-based chord progressions sound eternally mangled and mashed out of a shitty bar P.A. David Payne’s strangled yelp often writes checks his vocal chords can’t cash. … read more
Local Reviews: Reveeler
Ogden’s Reveeler has grown leaps and bounds since the 2008 demo I reviewed. Their short but potent EP gets rid of the garage rock qualities of the demo, giving them a more refined sound. The production is definitively precise and propels the tracks into their own unique realm of metal goodness. … read more
Local Reviews: Raw Xtract
I’ve never heard anything sound quite like this record by local poet and pianist Ami Hanna. There are moments of this scattered effort that are listenable as more conventional music, but the majority sounds like homework assignment poems read over amateur beats. … read more
Local Reviews: The Orbit Group
The Orbit Group have been making a name for themselves around Salt Lake City with their brand of funk / jazz / soul fusion. Orbit’s shows are an experience. They exhibit professional musicianship and cultivate crowd energy as few acts can. … read more
Local Reviews: Melodramus
In the realm of modern prog metal/rock, Melodramus have crafted one epic and diverse aural buffet of sounds on their second full-length album, Two: Glass Apple. It’s truly a record that not only rivals plenty of prog bands in the current world scene, but also puts a good hunk of them to shame. … read more
Local Reviews: In Key Dropouts/The Skaficionados
This split EP by defunct local favorites In Key Dropouts and The Skaficionados is a good demonstration of the musical chops present here in Salt Lake. There’s always been a following for ska music and the fantastic shows where it’s played. … read more
Local Reviews: Highway 6
Highway 6 is comprised of daughter/father singer-songwriters Heidi and Tom Nedreberg, and Love Songs To The Desert marks their self-released debut. As far as local CDs and music go, it is quite accomplished and polished. Unfortunately, it is also a little too country for my ears, which makes it hard for me to review objectively, but I’ll try. … read more
Local Reviews: Dirty Vespuccis
There are a few reasons why I’ve avoided so-called “street punk” for most of my life. First of all, I don’t really have the body type to pull off skin-tight leopard print pants. … read more
Local Reviews: Danger Hailstorm
On first listen, Danger Hailstorm sounds like an 80s butt-rock band that can’t let go of the past and continues to try and make bitches-and-booze music. After a few more listens, though, I realized that the band is actually trying to create post-hardcore type stuff. … read more
Local Reviews: Blackhounds
These days you gotta be specific. Is it alt-rock? Indie rock? Jam rock? No? How about Goth rock? Post punk? Post tech? Techno punk? Stop the list, I’m getting dizzy. There is a true plethora of sub-genres in today’s musical landscape. It’s exhausting, which is what makes reviewing this band such a pleasure. … read more