Wednesday 22 May
 
 

Iron Aidan

Aidan Carroll Quartet
7 p.m. Wednesday, May 29
University of Central Oklahoma Jazz Lab
100 E. Fifth, Edmond
ucojazzlab.com
359-7989
$5-$7
05/22/2013 | Comments 0

Beat street

Lucky Date with Kids at the Bar and Crystal Vision
9 p.m. Wednesday, May 29
Kamps 1310 Lounge
1310 N.W. 25th
kamps1310lounge.com
819-6004
$20
05/22/2013 | Comments 0

Sun rises

Sunny Side Up with The Last Slice and Classy San Diego
8 p.m. Saturday
The Conservatory
8911 N. Western
conservatoryokc.com
607-4805
$8
05/22/2013 | Comments 0

God bless metal

Becoming the Archetype with Bermuda, The Burial, Horror Cosmic and Veil of Suffering
6 p.m. Saturday
The Conservatory
8911 N. Western
conservatoryokc.com
607-4805
$12-$14
05/15/2013 | Comments 0

Here for the party

Gretchen Wilson with Outlaw Son
6 p.m. Thursday
Newcastle Casino
2457 U.S. 62, Newcastle
mynewcastlecasino.com
387-6013
free
05/15/2013 | Comments 0
Home · Articles · CDs · Rock · Crown Imperial — Crown Imperial
Rock

Crown Imperial — Crown Imperial


Joshua Boydston November 15th, 2011

Not much more than a year-old, Norman’s Crown Imperial already proves it’s a force to be reckoned with, on its self-titled debut. In just 16 minutes, the band flexes a knack for versatility, an eye for cohesiveness and an ear for massively addictive melodies.

crownimperial_10-58x10-58cm

The opener, “I’m Static,” darts out with a quick throttle before giving way to full and charming chorus echoing The Pains of Being Pure at Heart. Only Colourmusic and Other Lives rival the group in terms of a quality single, but no one even touches its catchiness. 

The tribal trill of the dangerous “Elevator” follows, but that flare of revolt settles into the sweet sincerity of the fair “Sunglasses,” which does its best “Jesus and Mary Chain on a Roy Orbison bender” impersonation to resoundingly positive results. The boy-meets-girl vocal line explodes mid-chorus into the most cheery set of screams you’ve heard before reverting into a sunny buzz of delicate, pattering drums and ringing guitar notes.

The subsequent “Records” tones it down with a steady dose of Joy Division-cool, and Crown Imperial keeps it ’80s with closer “You Belong to Me,” building off a chunky bassline into airier chords and a healthy portion of reverb.

It’s a sleek, stylish and polished effort that showcases a great deal of upside and maturity, ready to go places. Crown Imperial’s disc is not only one of the best from an Oklahoma act this year, but one of the best EPs of the year, period. —Joshua Boydston

 
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