VARIOUS SLUG: Death by Salt II

nn

Your favorite club warriors are included (The Wolfs, Starmy, Red Bennies, Thunderfist, Tolchock Trio, et al), but some of the best tracks on SLUG’s latest local comp come from bands you’ll rarely, if ever, see live: Flying Missles’ Stooges-fueled “You Tore My Heart Out,” ¡Andale!’s fuzzy-catchy “Hit the Ground,” Fifi Murmur’s haunting “Message From the Grave,” Silvox’s gorgeous “Jaded.” They all stand equal to cuts like Form of Rocket’s scald-rock and electronic and hip-hop inclusions from A.Vanvranken, Deadbeats'too many to fit. Of the 39, Lollipop Guild’s no-fi “Are You Done Yet?” and AODL’s noise-splat “Rubber Dress Fire” are the biggest “Huhs?” (SLUGMag.com)

nn

SPENCER NIELSEN Simple Vibe

nn

You can hear Spencer Nielsen’s “Strange Does” on local radio and never suspect it’s an SLC artist, but the sultry electro-R&B masterpiece has all the makings of a monster international hit single and the guy plays at the Cabana Club practically every week. Better still, the rest of Simple Vibe proves the tune is no fluke. (SRNMusic.com)

nn

LET’S BECOME ACTORS Research Your Friends

nn

The Brobecks’ Michael Gross wrote some songs that didn’t quite fit his band, hence Let’s Become Actors, an indie-folk side project with drummer/programmer Matthew Glass. The result: A near-perfect disc of shimmering pop that should have his bandmates sweating. Ain’t that always the way with side projects? (LetsBecomeActors.com)

nn

REVIDEOLIZED Revideolized

nn

Warning: It’s a one-man synth-Goth (sorry, “Darkwave”) project with many of the usual trappings'ominously repetitive minor-key chord progressions from the edge of the Casio Apocalypse, blip-thumping drum-machine beats, etc. But, as a whole, the tracks bleed together into a soothing crushed-velvet wallow. (MySpace.com/Revideolized)

nn

MIDWIFE CRISIS Behemoth/Leviathan

nn

And the winner of the Worst Band Name 2006 sweepstakes is … Midwife Crisis! Fortunately, their Behemoth/Leviathan EP makes up for it with five skittering blasts of dance-punk drama that rip through the pretension by sheer force of will. All that’s missing is the Rapture’s cowbell … need more cowbell. (MySpace.com/CopsandKids)

nn

PETER VAN HORN PROJECT Headspace

nn

Big chunks of ’80s arena-rock bombast and a dash of ’90s angst seasoned with unapologetic Dubya-era patriotism, Peter Van Horn’s Headspace would be an unpalatable mess if the hooks weren’t so sharp. There’s nary a tune here you wouldn’t be humming to yourself at the gun show well into the weekend. (PVHProject.com)