It’s the end of the year, and that means lists. I’ve actually been making a list of the best best-of lists (1. Paste Magazine, 2. MySpace, 3. Rhapsody), which means that I’ve officially gone overboard.
But this means nothing but good things for you, dear reader. Here are a ton o’ lists that chronicle the year in Oklahoma City music, because I’m in that kind of mood.
10 RELEASES WE LOVED, IN ABC ORDER
1. “Bummer Camp” by The Boom Bang: “A messy, disastrous delight.”
2. “Diamonds & Gasoline” by Turnpike Troubadours: “Roots-rock gem that shines with bright songwriting and masterful musicianship.”
3. “Feel Spectres” by Feel Spectres: “37 minutes of purist indie-rock goodness.”
4. “No Bees, No Honey” by Ali Harter: “Buzz-worthy for sure.”
5. “Say You’re a Sinner” by Green Corn Revival: “An earthy, tribal quality that fuses gospel with rural retro charm.”
6. “Stay Gold” by Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey: “As solid as they come.”
7. “Taddy Porter” by Taddy Porter:
“Riffing that will stick in your mind for days.”
8. “Taking Over the World” by Skating Polly: “Skating Polly could very well make good on the album’s titular promise.”
9. “The Samson Mammoth” by Tony Brown’s Happy Hour: “Marks an excellent hello … to the metro music scene.”
10. “You (Understood)” by Samantha Crain: “It’s unexpected in almost every way.”
4 BANDS POISED FOR AN ENORMOUS 2011
1. O Fidelis
2. The Non
3. The Boom Bang
4. Skating Polly
1 ALBUM AT 37 ON BILLBOARD’S ALBUM CHART
1. “All American Nightmare” by Hinder
4 ENTERTAINING VIDEO PROJECTS ON LOCAL MUSIC
1. Acoustic Oklahoma: youtube.com/InnerStateStudio
2. The VDub Sessions: vdubsessions.wordpress.com
3. The Chevy Bricktown Showcase: youtube.com/ChevyBricktown
4. The O Fidelis YouTube Channel: youtube.com/ofidelisTV
5 REASONS NORMAN MUSIC FESTIVAL 3 WAS AWESOME
1. The Non played a max-capacity set with an orchestra at Sooner Theatre. (Someone please put the group on the main stage next year!)
2. The Latin stage was all sorts of cool.
3. The festival was large enough to have stages that may or may not have been official, like the Studio 360 stage, which was headlined by the incredible American Glamstand.
4. Hip-hop and metal had a much larger presence, ushering in an admirable diversity.
5. It was (still!) free.
3 GONE BANDS WE WILL MISS
1. The Uglysuit
2. El Paso Hot Button
3. The City Lives (OK, almost gone)
3 GONE BANDS THAT RETURNED
1. Little League Hero
2. The Hex
3. American Boyfriends
1 MUSIC DVD THAT RULED
1. “Drugs: The Videos” by Dustin Prinz
5 NATIONAL RELEASES WITH ONLY A TANGENTIAL RELATION TO OKLAHOMA
1. “Sigh No More” by Mumford and Sons: Track 11 is “Dust Bowl Dance.”
2. “The Suburbs” by Arcade Fire: Edmond, represent!
3. “This Is Happening” by LCD Soundsystem: Oklahoma is, in fact, also happening. We exist.
4. “The Age of Adz” by Sufjan Stevens: Which was proof that his ‘50 states’ project most likely will not encompass Oklahoma.
5. “The Monitor” by Titus Andronicus: This concept album about the Civil War sadly does not cover the Battle of Honey Springs or the Battle of Chustenahlah, which happened in our fair state.
This article appears in Jan 12-18, 2011.