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: Fictionist
You may recall that Fictionist had a flirtation with Rolling Stone Magazine and made it to the third round of their cover contest. This is their first release since said 15 minutes of fame, and their third total. While listening, I perceived swells of darkness against opposing waves of hope—there’s no doubt that this EP is an emotionally driven work of rock n’ roll. … read more
Local Reviews: Enemy Octopus
This Salt Lake City alt-rock quartet definitely has an affinity for Rage Against The Machine. Hitting new topics like the economy as well as the basics (corporate greed, war and government controversy), Enemy Octopus performs a tight set on the short, self-titled EP with vocals on four of the six tracks, the bookends being instrumental. … read more
Local Reviews: Blue Moon Bombers
No matter how many times I’ve heard aggressive rockabilly music, whether it’s psychobilly, punkabilly, neo-rockabilly or whatever, it’s still an entertaining idea. The Bombers don’t seem afraid of going after full psycho or pulling it back to a more traditional feel. The guitar work is a heavy presence and is very well played as the drums and upright bass thump and bang out solid rhythms. … read more
Local Reviews: Black Cum
According to the Black Cum “manifesto,” they don’t write songs, practice or do second takes—they just get fucked up, press record and play. I’ll give them props for apparently adhering to these self-imposed rules. This double-cassette release (with a nifty little patch included) is an…interesting listen, but I don’t exactly get the feeling they give too much of a fuck what some old, washed-up hack like me thinks about their releases. … read more
Local Reviews: Baby Ghosts
A little bit of video game effects, some shred-tastic guitar playing, frantic drumming and vocals that alternate from melodic to scream-y—voila! Baby Ghosts are born! The songs are fun, upbeat and punky—it’s the kinda music that would have the crowd jumping along in no time. … read more
Local Reviews: Austin Joseph
Early Years, Austin Joseph’s first album, has an intriguing duality to it—whether it was a conscious effort is left to the listener to decide. To start, Mr. Joseph looks pretty clean cut: all smiles, hair gel and jeans. His musicality reflects this clean-cut image: uplifting keys and inspirational guitar. It’s clear that Joseph has extensively studied the catalogs of Pete Seeger, Gordon Lightfoot and other guitar-wielding good guys. … read more
Local Reviews: The Anchorage
Welcome to emo-ska! This is a fun/hate romp through two genres, which actually works for locals The Anchorage. Lyrics about pointing fingers at the lazy, the runaways, the suicide-attempters and those who aren’t facing reality in general, meet a wall of happy horns. … read more
Local Reviews: The New Electric Sound
Whether it was serendipity or just savvy marketing, the debut album from Provo-based surf-rockers The New Electric Sound has arrived just in time for summer. Generally speaking, the words “surf-rockers” and “Provo” don’t jive with one another, but this album just might change that. It’s the type of music that screams to be blasted out of topless convertibles cruising down the Pacific Coast Highway as the sun lazily sets over the horizon. … read more
Local Reviews: Mr. Richter
I’m all about the classic heavy metal revival. Mr. Richter join the mêlée of Utah’s virtuosic-vocal NWOBHM with their debut, six-song EP, where they find a good portion of their heavy metal niche with elegiac songs including opener “Mr. Richter,” which pounds along at a heavy, steady pace set by drummer Tyler Russell, along with chuggy guitars that blast in and out of dual harmony from both guitarists. … read more