With guidance from Trent Bell and the equipment in his Bell Labs Recording studio, the young group’s debut (they’re all around college-aged or fresh out of school) nicely juxtaposes a certain sonic wisdom against the songwriting of messy, emotive, mid-20s lives. Download the song “Ooo La La” for free. The album swings with John Baber’s […]
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Brady bunch
For alt-rock act Primus, the very thing that made it hard to break through is the thing that’s kept it from going away. “I think the key has been not being relevant, in the sense of music genres as they’ve come and gone, and we never really fit into any of them,” guitarist Larry LaLonde […]
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Star bright
Many things have changed during Thirteen Stars’ nearly 13 years as a band: lineups, relationships, jobs and everything else under the sun. It’s come at a cost to its formerly rigorous touring and recording schedule, but with all these changes, its members have plenty to say on their upcoming album, “The Price of Progress.” “It’s […]
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Kendrick Lamar — Section.80
People often expect highly anticipated albums to disappoint, but Kendrick leaves no room for disappointment. Lamar made this album as an ode to his fellow ’80s babies, products of the Reagan era. In fact, one of the songs is called “Ronald Reagan Era.” On this RZA-assisted composition and other tracks, Lamar mentions problems that have […]
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The Workweek — Promises, Promises
The highlights of the album are mature, thoughtful songs that fit comfortably into the listener’s ear. The simplest songs here are the strongest, as in the plaintive acoustic ballad “What You Wanted” and the lazy-Sunday vibe and great pedal steel of “Can You Hear Me Now.” That number and “Ain’t So” call up comparisons to […]
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Calvin and jobs
Releasing an album is cause for celebration, and Norman-based singer/ songwriter John Calvin did his share as he let loose of his second album, “Wish Alloy.” But, like a good artist, he didn’t stop there. “When you make an album, it’s a snapshot of you in that point of time — a sonic photo album, […]
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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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Ray of humanity
Ray Bonneville’s latest album is titled “Goin’ by Feel,” and there couldn’t be a better summation of the Canadianborn roots artist’s life and approach. Inspired early on by country music, blues and pre-Beatles pop, he remembers pressing his ear against his grandmother’s furniture-size radio in the 1950s upon hearing that oldfashioned twang. Soon, he got […]
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West to north
“Where do we go from here?” was the question Oklahoma City (by way of Northern California) rock band Somerset West faced as it released its debut album, “The Golden Land.” A full-length disc had always been a goal; it had been since the earliest days when bandleader and guitarist Kyle Lynch lost his brother — […]
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Kite Flying Robot — Solid Gold
Surprisingly, it’s marked not by excess, but by tasteful arrangements that result in strong pop songs. Anchored by mild-mannered electronic beats (think The Postal Service) and Nikolas Thompson’s calm, seductive voice, the songs reveal various parts and melodies at a leisurely pace. These unhurried tracks are long on a slinky, sunglasses-atnight-cool mood, and short on […]