The film’s discomforting imagery is depicted with shrewd precision and unflinching directness, both pivotal to the potency of the film. But McQueen also proves himself to be a uniquely accomplished storyteller, and the story here is extraordinary. Based on Solomon Northup’s 1853 autobiography of the same name, 12 Years follows a free black man’s sudden […]
Zach Hale
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The Flaming Lips — Peace Sword
For those who have been clamoring for a return to the more optimistic, life-affirming version of The Lips (or, as some would call them, “songs”), Peace Sword ought to appease — albeit subtly. The six-song EP was conceived after being asked to write music for the end credits of the recently released sci-fi flick Ender’s […]
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Married with music
And it’s all done in a way that sounds devoid of polish or stuffy flamboyance. The project is the brainchild of Wil Norton and Danny Davis, two Oklahoma Christian University graduates who bonded over Super Smash Bros. and a common musical thread — though their histories wouldn’t suggest the latter. Norton, 26, cut his teeth […]
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Brian Haas / Matt Chamberlain — Frames
That an artist would become enamored with divination after moving to the sprawling, mountain-laden countryside on the outskirts of Santa Fe, N.M., makes perfect sense. So, too, does Frames. While not improvised, per se, the album does toe the line between boundlessness and structure. A methodically composed exercise through the tempered scale, Frames clocks in […]
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Bread + butter
Yet, for the last several years, the medium has been thriving on the Internet. And LAMAR+NIK — two twenty-somethings from Oklahoma City — are arguably the scene’s fastest rising talents. “I feel like there are two different types of filmmakers: people who want to make artistic stuff and people who want to make money,” Jesse […]
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Frame of mind
Brian Haas wasn’t always a jazz musician. The Tulsa native and Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey ringleader was instead trained from a young age to play classical piano. Even within the more structured confines of classical music, though, Haas has always been an improviser at heart. “I would always get super nervous before competitions or recitals,” […]
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Kings of Leon — Mechanical Bull
Contrasting the band’s first two albums (Youth & Young Manhood and Aha Shake Heartbreak) with their last two (Only by the Night and Come Around Sundown) is like comparing the Rolling Stones to One Direction. Where there used to be cunning bite, there is now mawkish arena rock, and not even the good kind. The “Southern […]
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’Live and well
It’s a common occurrence within urban sprawl: Historically thriving neighborhoods succumb to Father Time as new developments arise, businesses relocate and the activity of city-dwellers inevitably shifts from one area to another. Until recently, Oklahoma City’s Plaza District — the mile-long strip along 16th Street between Classen Boulevard and Pennsylvania Avenue — was merely another […]
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Grooms — Infinity Caller
Through these changes, Johnson remained steadfast in his approach, hammering away at a sound that pays homage to his roots and influences while, at the same time, retaining a distinct individualism. Now, with two albums released on two separate labels behind them, Grooms sound rejuvenated on their third proper full-length, Infinity Caller, their most intricately […]
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Ain’t Them Bodies Saints
Make no mistake; Ain’t Them Bodies Saints is not as ambiguous as its title suggests. While it is indeed a work shrouded in murky atmosphere and high-minded poetry, at its core, David Lowery’s directorial breakthrough remains a classic tale of love, bondage and promises kept. Lowery tells his story with a lens so creatively visionary […]