RED ROCK HOT CLUB Gyptology ****
Straight-up instrumental gypsy jazz on three acoustic guitars, stand-up bass and violin'it’s all about Django and swingin’ like 1939, and the Red Rock Hot Club have the fou skills to do both justice. What the hell are they doing in Utah? (RedRockHotClub.com)
nnJOHN WHIPPLE Songs for No One ****
nnOptimistic title, huh? If there’s a local answer to hard-luck bluesman Chris Whitley, it’s singer-songwriter John Whipple; his heartbroken slide dobro and suicide-note lyrics burn like cheap whiskey. Check this before he moves away'or worse. (WhippleMusic.com)
nnROYAL BLISS After the Chaos II ***.5
nnRoyal Bliss re-recorded most of last year’s After the Chaos, plus a couple of new tunes'why? To capture a rawer-harder edge, and the payoff is immediate from the scorching new kickoff, “Brave,” to the end. The only RB disc you’ll need, now. (RoyalBliss.com)
nnVARIOUS X96 Live & Local Vol. 2 ***
nnEighteen killer cuts from local scene staples like The Wolfs, New Transit Direction, Purr Bats, SuperSoFar and more, as well as under-the-radar acts like Fifi Murmur, Manic, Nathan’s Chainsaw and, well, Under Radar. Just skip filler No. 17. Seriously. (X96.com)
nnFAIL TO FOLLOW For the Dead, the Dying and Those Still Fighting***
nnJust re-released by Portland indie Over Giver Music, Fail to Follow’s full-length debut almost sounds like the work of punk veterans, not a 2-year-old band'the righteous anger and chops are more bulletproof than Bad Religion’s 401(k). (FailtoFollow.com)
nnTHE HEATERS The Heaters **.5
nnThe hooks and the ’tude are in place, but the Heaters’ garage-rawk rave-ups are a bit too clean ’n’ pristine to reach Stooges threat levels. Crank the volume, though, and closer “This is the New Shakedown” delivers sexy Nuggets destruction. (MySpace.com/Heaters)
nnTHE LETHAL WEST Betting on Your Return **.5
nnStraight outta Holladay (“H-Town” to the locals), The Lethal West bleed suburban drama and Hot Topic angst. But least their name’s under eight words long and, for a semi-teen debut, this is nearly as tightly crafted as pinstripe jeans. (MySpace.com/TheLethalWest)
nnROBERT LUND Workin’ the Glory **
nnYes, it’s Mormon parodies set to classic hits, and most of it’s painfully sub-Saliva Sisters. But Robert Lund hits a referential homer with “Give a Talk at the Fireside,” set to Lou Reed’s “Walk on the Wild Side,” and suddenly it’s almost all worth it. (RobertLund.com)