Review: Grant Nelson – Life

Review: Grant Nelson – Life
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Grant Nelson Life Swing City   If you had a chance to check out GN live, last month @ The W Lounge (downtown SLC), then you know what he delivers as a DJ. Now you have a chance to comprehend his magic in the studio. This latest release from the man of many sides illustrates

Review: Groove Junkies ft. Indeya – Music’s Gotcha Jumpin’

Review: Groove Junkies ft. Indeya – Music’s Gotcha Jumpin’
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Groove Junkies ft. Indeya Music’s Gotcha Jumpin’ MoreHouse Records   The Los Angeles super-duo Groove Junkies, are back and more powerful then ever. This time, they rediscover the classic MoreHouse sound of soul and jazz rhythms by hitting the top with soul-funk and disco flavors, all encompassing the stirred vocals of diva Indeya (from “Oh

Review: Foetus – Not Adam

Review: Foetus – Not Adam
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Foetus Not Adam Birdman Records   Foetus is an act most rivetheads are not familiar with. Since 1981, Jim Thirwell made his mark as an early industrial pioneer working with the likes of Throbbing Gristle, Coil and Lydia Lunch. Surprises ensue when putting Foetus in for a listen. The title track of the single, “(Not

Review: Lights of Euphoria – Gegen Den Strom

Review: Lights of Euphoria – Gegen Den Strom
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Lights of Euphoria Gegen Den Strom Metropolis It’s common nowadays that if your album isn’t good enough to stand alone, you should add some remixes from artists that people like. Lights of Euphoria were smart enough to do that for the limited-edition North American release of Gegen Den Strom (Against the River). The 12 tracks

Review: Combichrist – Everybody Hates You

Review: Combichrist – Everybody Hates You
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Combichrist Everybody Hates You Metropolis   In the last year, Combichrist has released some of the best music to cross my desk in a long time. It’s lighthearted, evil, sexy, danceable and delicious. Fifteen years ago, I felt the same way about Nitzer Ebb; it got in the veins and you were hooked. “This s*it

Review: Wumpscut – Blondi

Review: Wumpscut – Blondi
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Wumpscut Blondi Metropolis   Blondi was the name of Hitler’s German Shepherd. Coincidence or not, Blondi is the name of Rudy’s latest bitch. Not even a year since Bone Peeler, this six-track single, with two original tracks, previews for the latest, Evoke. It starts with military camp sirens for “Rush,” a catchy, danceable, 4/4, monotonous,

Review: The Dead Science – Bird Bones in the Bughouse

Review: The Dead Science – Bird Bones in the Bughouse
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The Dead Science Bird Bones in the Bughouse Absolutely Kosher   The drummer plays in a jerky, attacking motion that reminds me of Tori Amos. The vocals are hushed, falsetto and reaching for a dramatic beauty that falls between the dissonance of the guitars and stand-up bass. It’s mutant jazz on downers twitching along in

Review: Ffa Coffi Pawb – Am Byth

Review: Ffa Coffi Pawb – Am Byth
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Ffa Coffi Pawb Am Byth Empyrean Before Gruff Rhys was mesmerizing the world with Super Furry Animals, he and a cast of characters who would go on to play in Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci, Mogwai and Cornelius were kicking around Wales as Ffa Coffi Pawb. Am Byth is a compilation pulled from their three albums and

Review: Billy Idol – Devil’s Playground

Review: Billy Idol – Devil’s Playground
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Billy Idol Devil’s Playground Sanctuary Having placed himself in a self-imposed exile, the majority of the last decade was decidedly Idol-less. Billy was off losing himself in cyberpunk culture (rather prophetic, considering The Matrix was far from view) and the excesses that defined him as one of the 80s most reckless superstars. Then there was

Review: Erasure – Nightbird

Review: Erasure – Nightbird
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Erasure Nightbird Mute   On Erasure’s last release, Other People’s Songs, Vince Clark and Andy Bell sounded tired. Their bag of tricks had been spent, reducing them to an album of poorly constructed cover songs, and even though it pushed the duo back onto the radar in America, it was quite easily their worst effort