Tuesday 18 Jun
 
 

Kanye West — Yeezus

Try as you might, but there’s no escaping Kanye West. Turn on the TV, radio, computer — hell, take a stroll downtown and you might see his mug projected on the side of a building. It’s an undeniable fact of life in 2013: Kanye West is bigger than Buddha, Krishna and The Beatles (today, anyway) and he’ll be the first to let you know about it.
06/18/2013 | Comments 0

Jumpship Astronaut — Lights Burn Out

Oklahoma has never been the haven for electronic rock music that it is for country, folk and, as of late, psychedelic pop, but from the sound of Lights Burn Out, Oklahoma City upstart Jumpship Astronaut seems intent on changing that.
06/12/2013 | Comments 0

Various artists — Reaching Out

Like so many Oklahomans, the local music scene has responded with generosity and grace in the wake of last month’s tragedy in Moore. In the weeks since, droves of local musicians have banded together for benefit concerts and radio marathons to raise funds for the relief effort, and with extraordinary results.
06/04/2013 | Comments 0

Progress in Color — Get Well

It’s been a long, bumpy ride for Glenpool’s Progress in Color, which saw a record deal with Epic evaporate before even one record could come of it, but it’s led the outfit to where it was supposed to be.
06/04/2013 | Comments 0

Joe Average — The Lullaby Goodbye

There’s no telling why Joe Average chose the moniker he did. He’s far from mediocre.
06/04/2013 | Comments 0
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Music

Staying current


After 15 years, Electric Six still cranks its party-rock voltage to ‘Danger!’

Chris Parker September 27th, 2011  

Electric Six with Kitten and Mark Mallman
9 p.m. Wednesday
Opolis
113 N. Crawford, Norman
opolis.org
820-0951
$15

No one will ever accuse Electric Six of being too serious. The Detroit sextet’s shimmying dance rock is as lighthearted as it is lively. Their spirit recalls the movie “This Is Spinal Tap” in that singer Dick Valentine delivers the lyrics with macho mock seriousness.

In 2003, Madness ringleader Suggs caught an Electric Six gig and, afterward, told Valentine, “I’ve always believed there’s something to be said for being vaguely intellectual.”

“That was years ago, and it’s still the highest compliment I’ve ever been paid,” Valentine said. “Total nail on the head.”

Electric Six achieved a jolt of fame when its 2003 debut produced two hit party-funk singles, “Danger! High Voltage” and “Gay Bar.” That satiated the mainstream’s appetite, however, and the act was dismissed by many as mere novelty.

But the only novelty is how uncommon a sense of humor is in rock. The group has continued to release fine music, and at a pace that would make most bands’ heads spin: roughly an album a year. Its latest, “Heartbeats and Brainwaves!,” due Oct. 11, maintains their winning streak of spunky, synthaddled, sugar-pop anthems.

The albums have less and less of a plan.
—Dick Valentine


“The albums have less and less of a plan,” said Valentine. “This is the first one where we actually had no songs written ahead of time. But we kind of knew that we wanted to make it synthier.”

The big dance beats are indeed more prominent, but the whole effort possesses a crisp bite that jumps out of the speakers. After spending most of the summer sitting around, Valentine’s anxious to get back on the road. He loves the structure and vibe of touring, and is particularly looking forward to tonight’s show at Opolis in Norman.

“We do generally love Oklahoma City and Norman,” he said. “We actually considered moving to Oklahoma City back in the day. We were disillusioned with Detroit and our drummer at the time thought it would be a good idea to move to Oklahoma City and be the cool new people in town.”

The group will settle for wearing that crown for one night.

 
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