Rock
Joshua Boydston
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.

Rock
Matt Carney
Get it? “Peachy-P”? As in, “Peach EP”? Well, I thought it was kinda funny.

Hip Hop/Rap
Matt Carney
“Art by Death” is something you probably won’t hear every day.

Music
Matt Carney
The subject of budding Okie videographer Nathan Poppe’s debut documentary, the foot-stomping Enid alt-country dudes in Black Canyon released their debut record “Battlefield Darlins” on Bandcamp.com last month, and — happy surprise! — they recruited Sherree Chamberlain to guest as the gal in this musical romance.

Indie
Matt Carney

Norman’s Jake Davidson beautifully reconciles his love for tradition-rich acoustic music with old-school English drum ’n’ bass electronica on his full-length debut, “Dream Familiar,” as recording project Two Suns.

Rock
Matt Carney
Somewhere between Depth & Current’s thematic explorations of living in a broken world and Broncho’s uptempo pop-punk resides Oklahoma City trio Kill the Reflection, minus the two previous bands’ shoegaze and pop.

Music
Matt Carney

Grateful Dead, American Beauty (1970)
From the nine months before I was born until now, this album and every other album by The Grateful Dead has been playing in my life. The free-spirit sound and attitude of this band is a huge part of who I am today. This would be a band that has changed the way I’ve thought about more life situations than religion. The smooth feeling of folk with a blend of psychedelic sound waves on this album speaks to me in ways little music does.

Music
Matt Carney
It’s refreshing to hear earnest backpack rap at a time when some of the most topically vile, base and offensive music in the genre’s history (read: Odd Future) is what’s buzzing.

Music
Joshua Boydston
Lounge music never dies. The bad haircuts and cheesy outfits may have, but a new generation of performers in the metro still swing with a thoughtfulness and individuality that made crooners the toast of the town in the Rat Pack era.