THUNDERFIST Live at Burt’s

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Thunderfist’s new hits EP (the “bonus tracks” ain’t there) sounds suspiciously clean for a “live” recording, especially from Burt’s Tiki Lounge'so what? Jeremy Cardenas is still the smartest punk wordsmith around, and this s't rocks. (MySpace.com/Thunderfist)

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SUPERSOFAR Sum

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SLC scene vet James Woods blends pop savvy and rock crunch on SuperSoFar’s second disc, 10 cuts unapologetically designed for max commercial appeal and equally applicable to bar or stadium. It’ll probably get somebody laid, too. (SuperSoFar.com)

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KNVS KNVS

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Defiantly lo-fi, the KNVS (pronounced “knives”) drag the barebones rock swagger of sibling band The Wolfs into punkier meadows with scaldingly catchy tunes like “Explode Me Now” and six more as lead screamer Karen Cognito yearns and burns. (Rest30.com)

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PURR BATS Salt Lake City

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That big electric thrill? Hanging ’round the urinals, thunderstorming abuzz? That’s the Purr Bats on the comeback, throbbing like Beck’s gristle at a Wall of Voodoo party circa ’81. Not up for electro-sexy? Kyrbir isn’t the droid you’re looking for. (PurrBats.com)

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GUNDHI Gundhi

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Ogden heaviness brought down thick ’n’ psychedelic, spurred on by trucker tabs and the ghost of Jimi’s wah-wah pedal. Gundhi are too wily to be pegged as stoner rock, though, lobbing reggae curveballs and urban-blues sliders into the strike zone. (Gundhi.com)

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THE HANDSOME The Handsome

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A Provo trio polishes up some new New Wave with a pop-punk twist: The Cars’ leftover synth lines and handclaps meet Warped Tour mall angst, culminating in what could be the long-lost soundtrack to an ’80s spring-break flick. Radical! (TheHandsome.com)

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CONSPIRACY FREAK Daylight in the Swamps

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Folk-rap with a side of grunge-electronica world beat? Sure. Conspiracy Freak’s freewheeling mash-up of politics, pop culture and punch lines works better in practice than it ever would on paper, but beware the subliminal messages. (ConspiracyFreak.com)

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JERICHO ROAD There is More

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But why?! Why More?! Even by LDS music standards, Jericho Road’s hack-slick boy-band shtick is so played-out, it would funnier if Sons of Provo hadn’t already applied the fork. Still sucking with the power of a thousand sucky things. (JerichoRoadMusic.com)