As each one is different, so is the occasion for which they’re best suited. Here are my picks and tentative plans for this Thanksgiving: Coop Ale Works: Native Amber This guy’s crisp and delicious with a sweet hint of caramel, and comes in a tall, very regal-looking black can. Grab a koozie and it’s perfect […]
Matt Carney
Posted inMusic
M83 — Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming
And not just in indie. Released this week, Coldplay’s “Mylo Xyloto” (also see Florence + The Machine, Lady Gaga) is the group’s biggest, brightest, largest-swelling album yet, just as optimistic in tone as its lyrics are complimentary and superficial. Meanwhile, once the biggest, loudest, hardest chest-beaters of the indie-rock scene (just watch them playing “Wake […]
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Ben there, sung that
“I think a good song is just unflinchingly correct,” Ben Folds said, simultaneously answering a question about the lasting success of his solo debut album, “Rockin’ the Suburbs,” and explaining his method of songwriting, a strategy that’s sold more than 3 million records to date. “That doesn’t mean it’s a masterpiece — it’s just that […]
Posted inArts & Culture
‘Rum’ punchless
Thompson was no exception among young writers; the novel was only a seedling of what would eventually bloom in merciless attacks on the American Dream in “Hell’s Angels” and the narcotized paranoia of “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.” Talk-show host Charlie Rose rightfully harangued the writer in 1999 for the late-career cash grab. Unfortunately, […]
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Doggie style
What started as a collective of friends in Philadelphia fooling around with amateur recording techniques will roll its way into Tulsa’s historic Cain’s Ballroom on Monday night, with sunny, late-’60s/early ’70s AM radio sounds in tow. The band is Dr. Dog, which unabashedly records charming, harmonic rock ’n’ roll more than 40 years after the […]
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Lemma — Lemma
I say R.E.M. because of the little tinge of country that affects that band’s tunes (and subsequently Lemma’s), and the fact that singer Aaron Newman does a terrific Michael Stipe impression when he wants to. “Nothing Is Set” is a tribute to “The One I Love,” with Newman giving a dead ringer of a performance. […]
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Justice — Audio, Video, Disco
Well, the bigger they are, the harder they fall. While injecting prog-rock instrumentation into electronic dance music (Justice specializes in house) isn’t entirely novel, it’s definitely better when Kanye West cuts it, screws it, then raps over it, as he did on last year’s “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.” Incorporating prog meant that “AVD” had […]
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Ben Folds — The Best Imitation of Myself: A Retrospective
Those, of course, are his songwriting and piano playing (dude’s never been much of a singer, but to his credit, his voice has never seemed to hinder listeners from engaging with his music), which established Folds as the premiere balladeer for both Generation X and Y. He’s got plenty of other sensibilities, including a penchant […]
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Occupy OKC gets soggy
Last night and this morning brought chilling rains, but the inclement weather wasn’t enough to drive the Occupy OKC movement out of Kerr Park, where protesters have been camped out since Oct. 11. “Rain’s not gonna stop us,” said protester Mike So. “We’re still gonna do what we’re here to do.” So, a Utah native, […]
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The Damn Quails — Down The Hatch
Showcased front and center amid a backing band circus that includes John Fullbright and Joe Hardy, White and Marshall confidently steer their way through 14 songs set in smoky bars, busted-up relationships, bluegrass towns and even the pokey. Despite their relative youth, the pair boasts many years’ experience, and it really shows in the strong […]