Saturday 25 May
 
 
CD reviews

IndianGiver — Plafond EP

If you were to peruse the “About” section of IndianGiver’s Facebook page, you’ll notice how the instruments attributed to each of the Oklahoma City band’s five members are described with downright flippancy: Dylan Jordan plays “sticks & animal skins,” while Jazzton Rodriguez earns his keep with “shanties & loud noises,” and so on.
05/22/2013 | Comments 0

Various artists — Never Give Up: Celebrating 10 Years of The Postal Service

Few indie bands have had the impact on current music that The Postal Service has. Even fewer have done so with only one album.
05/15/2013 | Comments 0

Big Worm — Bench All-Stars

Fans of the comedy classic Friday may recognize the name Big Worm, but the Big Worm behind Bench All-Stars is rooted not in South Central L.A., but on the streets of Oklahoma City.
05/08/2013 | Comments 0

Code 22 — Going Soft: The Acoustic Album!

The guys of Oklahoma City’s Code 22 seem like a likable group of fellas. Their latest release, Going Soft: The Acoustic Album!, is likable enough as well — so likable that on first listen, I took its clean, acoustic sound and clear, unstressed vocals as an alternative praise-and-worship band.
05/08/2013 | Comments 0

Eureeka — Polysynthetic Fields

It’s always refreshing to hear music that embraces its own eccentricity, yet presents it in an accessible and meek fashion. Eureeka — the Norman-based duo of Jordan Vargas and Devin Wahl — has tapped into this rarified air on its self-released EP, Polysynthetic Fields.
05/08/2013 | Comments 0

SXSW: Holy Fiction / The Tontons


Sweeping chamber-pop and Motown power

By Stephen Carradini March 19th, 2012

Holy Fiction
Credits: Stephen Carradini

After the energetic blast of Whiskey Shivers, Holy Fiction calmed the room with their spacious art-pop. The band composes sweeping, room-filling tunes without heavy instrumental trappings; while the band include a violinist, the string contributions were never overly featured. The violinist instead contributed to the atmosphere, the goal of many Holy Fiction songs. Synth washes, guitar, drums and bass added to the sound, but none particularly was featured. The song is all for Holy Fiction, and as a result it was easy to sit back and let the songs surround me.

The songs were not all mid-tempo; a few incorporated more upbeat elements such as dance-rock drumbeats. Even a single change can push Holy Fiction's tightly constructed songs in a different and interesting directions, so the upbeat elements were welcome. The set was a strong one, and I thoroughly enjoyed it (although in a very different way than I enjoyed the two previous bands!). Fans of Other Lives, Shearwater and Radical Face will also enjoy the tunes of Holy Fiction. (Bonus: Holy Fiction has at least one member from defunct Oklahoma band Ethan Durelle.)

The Tontons
Credits: Stephen Carradini

Houston's The Tontons took the stage after Holy Fiction, serving up a blend of Motown and psych-rock that went down smooth. The central point of the band was the female vocalist, who cooed, cawed, sang and danced her way through the set. She never stopped moving her arms, waving them sinuously to accentuating the mood and timbre of her vocals. She was a mesmerizing presence, commanding all attention. I took a couple shots of the other three members of the band, but it was hard to tear my eyes from the lead singer. Her poise,  composure and power simply drew me in. The songs were solid, as well, but seeing them performed is simply incredible.

 
  • Currently 3.5/5 Stars.
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