“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 […]
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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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Rise of the machines
JBOT’s plan to replace his former bandmates with robots may have backfired when — according to his bio — the machines pulled off a full-scale mutiny and enslaved their former captain and creator. But, hey, it beats the hell out of playing with other people. “You ever been in a band? Try it sometime. You’ll […]
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Beneath the Owl
Having played Oklahoma twice in three short years of touring, electronic-pop musician Adam Young — operating as Owl City — already has formed fond memories of the Sooner State. “Some kid in blue sweatpants drew pictures of genitals all over the side of my bus in black Sharpie last time I was there,” he said. […]
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Dope heads
Local music lovers Clint McEwen and Rob Vera had long desired to turn their love of vinyl into a record label of their own. It took a half-naked man in a tattered bunny mask to make that dream a reality. McEwen saw an opening in punk musician Nobunny’s schedule last winter, and when the booking […]
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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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Wash cycle
As Bleached, sisters Jennifer and Jessica Clavin deliver sparse, straightforward, buzz-saw rock chords and dense bass under harmonic cooing, mostly about sunny Los Angeles and its male inhabitants. And if you think they might wind up in a territory battle with soul sister Bethany Cosentino — who fronts the similar-sounding Best Coast — then you’re […]
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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 […]