Mastodon is great at naming things. Now touring behind its fifth album, The Hunter, Atlanta’s reigning prog-metal act stomped its way to critical-darling status by virtue of more than just formidable song sorcery. One can feel writers’ glee by reading reviews of the band’s sludgy, heady, unrelenting approach to rock that manifests in album titles […]
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Yay, it’s Record Store Day!
This year’s festivity comes with a heavy dose of Oklahoma artists. Even among a slate of highly anticipated releases from the likes of David Bowie, Bruce Springsteen and Metallica, the collaborative album from Oklahoma City’s The Flaming Lips stands as one of the most-talked about. The Flaming Lips and Heady Fwends features such all-star guests […]
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All about Eve
Few bands’ horizons looked better than Eve 6’s did back in the late ’90s and early ’00s. The alt-rock outfit enjoyed a major-label record deal, a platinum album and smash singles in “Inside Out” and “Here’s to the Night.” Then, ironically enough, things fell into a “beautiful oblivion.” Sales of its third, heavier release, 2003’s […]
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Double R — Dr. Digital
Crazy, but good. It’s totally sporadic and unpredictable, which would be a detriment elsewhere, but works here. It’s like swimming in his id: a sunny, jazz-inspired melody here; a swampy, Gothic hook there. These indulgences are overwhelming and exciting, especially in the darkest of moments. It’s your best, worst nightmare. Double R works as much […]
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Giving them hell
You’ve heard The All-American Rejects’ mythology before. Talented small-town Stillwater high schoolers’ album gets scooped from the trash by a record label intern: music videos, hit singles, major-label deals, high-grossing worldwide tours and dalliances with celebrities ensue. In short, all the stuff that constitutes the first half of an episode of VH1’s Behind the Music: […]
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Josh Sallee — Probable Flaws
Besides doing away with hooks that skewed frat-boy (“So Chill”), what were spitfire thoughtful lines on Sender have become genuinely compelling storytelling. “Lately wanna rage on the daily / Mainly ’cause the pain go away” is the most easily repeatable lyric on “Like Girl, Like Guy,” but it’s far from the most intriguing. The guy’s […]
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Just Joshin’
Like millions of young suburban teens at the turn of the millennium, Josh Sallee watched rapt as a man in his late 20s with dyed-blond hair, a baggy white T-shirt and a dour expression rapped about his severe emotional confusion on MTV’s Total Request Live. The guy was Eminem, and the album he was promoting, […]
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PJ Bond
Bond chose to go solo. For three years, he has been gracing stages simply as a man with a guitar. At 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 22, he’ll perform at HiLo Club, 1221 N.W. 50th. He’s also a nomad, calling many cities home as he travels the world. He’s toured Europe three times, twice since the […]
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Zach Winters — They Were Longing For a Better Country
No, Mumford & Sons hasn’t released their second album yet. Norman singer/songwriter Zach Winters’ fourth LP, “They Were Longing for a Better Country,” blends all the aforementioned into a haunting, but peaceful work that’s more personally convicting and beautifully recorded than what you’ll typically find in the local coffee shop after hours. “Country” is rich […]
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Moon fazes
Oklahoma City looked like a sort of mecca for guitarist and singer Blaise Thompson of local psychedelic-rock outfit Moon when he was making his way from New Orleans to attend ACM@ UCO to pursue a music career. For someone who considers The Flaming Lips’ “Clouds Taste Metallic” and “Transmissions from the Satellite Heart” to be […]