Because no new trends have appeared at all in 2011 so far, I was getting kinda worried that I was going to be stuck listen to trashy, lo-fi garage rock and pristine folk all year. Thankfully, Braids’ “Native Speaker” crossed my desk, and I’m feeling a bit more calm. Even if they don’t spark a […]
Music Features
Posted inMusic
Brooklyn Rundfunk Orkestrata — The Hills Are Alive
Brooklyn Rundfunk Orkestrata’s “The Hills Are Alive” is a cult album if there ever was one. The premise is bizarre: The awesomely acronymed BRO decided to reinterpret songs from Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “The Sound of Music” in modern music genres, like Motown, prog rock, R&B, country, funk and more. Many of these tunes are original […]
Posted inMusic
Mind games
The sophomore album is always an uphill battle, and God bless Telekinesis’ Michael Benjamin Lerner for getting through it with all the other obstacles that popped up along the way. The stress of following up his critically acclaimed debut, “Telekinesis!,” was compounded by a litany of other problems: a serious car wreck, a breakup, depression […]
Posted inMusic
Got milk?
And why not? The Austin quartet features three champion childhood fiddlers — Brian Beken, Noah Jeffries and Dennis Ludiker — who met as children competing at Idaho’s annual National Oldtime Fiddlers’ Contest & Festival. That early connection would bloom years later in Austin, Texas, where the trio reconnected. Two years ago, the three hooked up […]
Posted inMusic
Life’s a beach
Should the whole “being a beloved ’90s rock band” stop working out, the guys of 311 might make for pretty excellent marriage counselors. “I have been married for 10 years and been in this band for over 20,” bassist P-Nut said. “You have to be flexible, you have to stand up for your point of […]
Posted inMusic
Space invaders
Sometimes the band name defines the band, and in others, the sound defines the name. In the case of Oklahoma City trio Aliens Vs. Robots, it’s a little bit of both. “It came from our music, from what I thought the music sounded like,” bassist David Steele said. “We were playing our song ‘Invasions’ and […]
Posted inMusic
Wind chimes
OKC’s Windsong Chamber Choir will premiere 12 newly commissioned pieces in a free concert, “Cantica Sacra: Music of the Mary Heath Endowment,” at 5 p.m. Sunday at Westminster Presbyterian Church, 4400 N. Shartel. The concert will feature a cappella performances, ensemble accompaniment and a full orchestra throughout the course of the show. Oklahoman Mary K. […]
Posted inMusic
Typhoon — A New Kind of House
I’m even more enthused if an acoustic guitar is the primary songwriting instrument for the aforementioned. Typhoon’s “A New Kind of House” EP is all of that and more. The icing on the cake of all that I mentioned is if the band can make the songs beautiful. Music doesn’t have to be beautiful to […]
Posted inMusic
The Caribbean — Discontinued Perfume
The Caribbean’s “Discontinued Perfume” certainly follows up on their opening-track promise with a bizarre sort-of indie-pop album that is not recommended for those of short attention spans. It helps that The Caribbean lay out their mission statement on the cover of the album, as part of the art: “’Discontinued Perfume’ seems to be about living […]
Posted inMusic
Kerri Arista — 50 Different Ways
Kerri Arista’s “50 Different Ways” is a solid acoustic country/pop album all the way through. If you need a new music fix in the genre, the album is going to be a winner for you. If you’re looking to be wowed, you should look elsewhere. There are good tunes to be had, but this doesn’t […]