Dwellers
Good Morning Harakiri
Small Stone

Well, it turns out that Peace, and Other Horrors, the four-song EP Dwellers put out last year, was an experimental little project because there’s not much folksy, acoustic Americana Gothic to be found on their debut full-length, Good Morning Harakiri. Although, to be fair, Good Morning Harakiri does contain a good deal of slide guitar, but it’s used as a vehicle for delivering some grungy psych-blues instead. I suppose the idea behind this one is that the six songs included here are the musical equivalent of splitting yourself open and spilling your guts all over the place, and if that’s the case, this Salt Lake City trio (comprised of Iota and Subrosa members) has made one fine mess. While it is atmospheric, exotic, and trippy at times, Good Morning Harakiri is, ultimately, blessedly doomed, absolutely heavy, and full of Southern-fried muscle, and if Gideon Smith was to ever rip through a set of songs from Soundgarden’s Ultramega OK in Earth’s jam room, this is what it would sound like. Forget what it does to your insides — this ritual rock rattles your goddamn bones.

Listen to “Lightening Ritual” from Good Morning Harakiri!

What was it I said a little while ago? Nothing good ever happens in the snow? Yeah, I think that was it, and here’s more proof: Dead Snow (or Død snø in its native Norwegian). Now, if you’re like me and felt a little let down by Inglourious Basterds and are jonesing for more satisfactory Nazi killing action, then you should think about checking out Dead Snow because as an added bonus, the Nazis in this movie are also zombies. And there’s A LOT more blood and guts. There had to be, really, because this movie is a wash otherwise. But looking for substance in a low-budget horror/black comedy flick is like ordering a salad at a fast food joint, isn’t it? You really only watch a movie like Dead Snow precisely because it’s gonna pile the blood and guts up higher than a ski hill and it responsibly chooses camp over plot.

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