Local Review: Westward – The Deadly Rapture of Space

Westward

The Deadly Rapture of Space

Self-Released

Street: 03.06

Westward = Muse x Grey Fiction

In the vast unknown, past the lonely planet that launched Thom Yorke, near the same galaxy Deep Purple cruised by on their space-truckin’ odyssey, comes a sonic signal from Salt Lake sound-makers called Westward. Like space itself, Rapture dances in a sort of cosmic equilibrium at once chaotic, beautiful and balanced.

Towering guitar lines rise and fall as vocals find the highest notes in the universe. “My Condign” finds drums thundering only to abruptly quiet while melodies croon, howl and wail before calming to distant spoken-word reveries.

“Justice” sets a Western stage with clear whistling whirs and tidy cross-picking that stands heavy like thick dust at twilight. They’re cosmic, loud and certainly out there, but like a sea of stars over a cool desert night, Westward is enchanting and unbounded. Few locals match their ambition, though they could do more to set themselves apart from similar-sounding national acts. –CJ Morgan