So when the band’s new album, “Build A Rocket Boys!,” showed up with a bunch of mushy, mid-tempo pop tunes, I was very, very confused. There is nothing on “Boys!” that even suggests that this is the same group of “Grounds for Divorce.” There are string-laden arrangements, maudlin lyrics, weird arrangements that include steel drums, and […]
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Lelia Broussard — Masquerade
Lelia Broussard’s “Masquerade” is an unassuming, bouncy, acoustic-based female singer/songwriter record that I unabashedly love — even though there’s absolutely nothing unique about it. It’s an inversion of Adele’s “21”: While Adele is working hard to take the world by storm with her gravitas and emotive power, Broussard will soon be breezing through the indie […]
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South spark
“Is that what Oklahoma sounds like these days?” he yelled. Yes, it is. Held March 15-17, the first official SXSW showcase for Oklahoma bands, sponsored in large part by the Oklahoma Film & Music Office, went a long way to taking Sooner music out of stereotypes and into reality in listeners’ minds. From the Ramones-esque […]
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Low show
Sometimes, things come together perfectly, and that’s certainly been the case for All Time Low. Sounding like a hybrid of Blink-182 and Weezer, the Maryland punk-pop quartet has engaged a grassroots following with pulsing rhythms, life-size hooks and bright vocal melodies. What began as simply “something to do” grew into a life choice. The band […]
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Freddie vs. all
Freddie Gibbs’ story is one like many rappers before him: He was a 20something who had taken up drug dealing … and wound up a convicted felon, before music saved him. “It gave me something to focus on, something I love. That had always been my problem … I just didn’t have a passion for […]
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Counting on Fingers
Fingers, the Oklahoma City power-pop act that was a staple of metro venues in the early 1980s, return for a semi-reunion concert at 9 p.m. Saturday at Coach’s Brewhouse, 110 W. Main in Norman — “semi” because the original lineup, sadly, is not intact. Alan Roach said the recent death of Fingers member David Medford […]
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Hayes’ code
You may be surprised to spot a country artist like Hayes Carll residing between the respectively pop and alternative-friendly pages of Rolling Stone and Spin, but you wouldn’t be the only one — Carll included. The singer/songwriter and terrible vacuum salesman had a failed go at a music career in Austin, Texas, before returning home […]
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Party with the Gazette!
The first one is Saturday at The Blue Note Lounge, 2408 N. Robinson, with live music and opportunity to win free Soundcheck shirts and other swag all night long! Sponsored by Boulevard Brewing Co., other parties are scheduled for the following Saturdays: • April 9, Wormy Dog Saloon, 311 E. Sheridan • April 16, TapWerks […]
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Colt defense
Sometimes, you just need a little time to catch your breath. It’s been almost a decade of jet-setting and TV appearances for Oklahoma City pop-rock singer Graham Colton, all amounting to very little rest and downtime in his hometown. Some changes have afforded Colton a welcome return to the Sooner State, and he’s taking it […]
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Russell’s brand
Tom Russell has no patience for pigeonholes. Despite a penchant for rootsy story-songs about dust-blown, blue-collar characters, he scoffs at the Americana tag that’s been hung around his neck for years. “They always need a tag — progressive country, new country, altcountry — to put outsider writing in,” Russell said. “I don’t see my music […]