Local CD Revue
Phono, Invisible Rays, Cherem, Ocular Faith, Brilliant Stereo Mob, The Yearbook, Facts, AK Charlie
By Bill Frost @bill_frostPHONO The Changeover
nnPacked tight with 16 songs (plus a hidden bonus: a Trent-approved remix of Nine Inch Nails’ “Only” by Phono figurehead Joe Ashton), The Changeover doesn’t skimp on disc space or personal crisis; it almost feels like too much. Ashton’s iron fist rarely looses the goth-industrial complexities, making for sweet moments of release. (PhonoOnline.com)
nnINVISIBLE RAYS Fuzzy Monster
nnLo-fi with a side of sci-fi, Ogden’s Invisible Rays kick out two-minute psychedelic trash-blasts that could have been recorded 40 years or 40 minutes ago. If you’re not wiped out by the skuzzy-manic energy 10 cuts later, you’re an alien. (MySpace.com/InvisibleRays)
nnCHEREM We Are the Revolution
nnTrue, hardcore bands take themselves waaay too seriously sometimes, but the precision and rage with which Cherem sledgehammer their message into your skull ain’t no joke'it’s an ultimatum with meaty hooks that kill. Wait, hold the meat … (XCheremX.com)
nnOCULAR FAITH And the Golden Saints Wept
nnIndustrial noise-metal soundscapes with a political bent? Not as weird as you’d imagine'and yet, eerie as hell. Over long-lush tracks with abrasive centers, Saints draws a digital acid-bath for The Government Agenda. Scary. (MySpace.com/GoldenSaints)
nnBRILLIANT STEREO MOB Fists, Guns & Knives
nnThe title sounds tougher then the jangling indie-pop within, 11 dreamy-sugary tunes that taste like the Dandy Warhols minus the cocky, or the Brian Jonestown Massacre minus the crazy. “Dumb Luck” should be the hit of this (or any) summer. (Loaf-I.com/BSM)
nnTHE YEARBOOK The New Year EP
nnThe Yearbook is one guy (Lorin Madsen) who writes the songs and plays the instruments'and he’s only 20. Madsen’s songs transcend their indie-emo trappings with real depth and soul, but the little girls probably don’t care. (MySpace.com/TheYearbook)
nnFACTS Classic Agenda
nnIt’s about time a hip-hop artist sampled Thin Lizzy'“Johnny the Fox,” no less! Facts still loves his Utah, his Nikes and his parties, but Classic Agenda is also more personal than past discs; check “Nightfall (In Vietnam)” for the serious shit. (FactSkills.com)
nnAK CHARLIE AK Charlie
nnOn record, Ogden punk-metal heroes AK Charlie are more sophisticated than they come across in a loud club; the layers, melodic twists and good ol’ technical guitar heroics on their debut CD are more surprising than a cigarette butt in a longneck. (AKCharlie.com)
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