Ego alone isn’t what makes Mr. West such a fascinating figure; any other schmo with a head his size would be scoffed and discarded as parody. There’s actually a certain degree of legitimacy that keeps his maniacal sense of self-importance from devolving into full-scale megalomania: that Kanye’s vision and production chops are currently unmatched in […]
EP
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Superior sound
A five-piece of former “Motherbitches” gathered around its communal kitchen table on a Monday afternoon, indulging in stories of drunken fan squabbles, Oklahoma City’s finicky music scene and the romance that started it all six years ago. Now known as Em and the MotherSuperiors, the psychedelic soul outlet opted to drop “Motherbitches” from its name […]
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Sweet slumber
Adam Miller, the brains behind the Oklahoma City-based project This Is Sleep, doesn’t just embrace the oncedormant science of computer-based production; he revels in it. “There is a magic, no doubt, that comes with bands,” Miller said. “But as technology rises, the evolution of music and new kinds of music go along with that, it’s […]
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John Moreland — In the Throes
He moves through the 10-song collection with The Boss’ swagger, too, effortlessly swaying between fully fleshed folk-rock anthems and quiet, dirt-road ditties. “Nobody Gives a Damn About Songs” anymore marries a lament of the loss of substance with an impossibly catchy — and classically American — melody. “Blacklist” is just as powerful in its heartbreak, […]
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Vulgar incident
You’re doing something right when the powers that be shut your show down early. Denton, Texas’ experimental duo Vulgar Fashion endured this rite of passage on May 30, when the owners of a posh Dallas nightclub called The Dram instructed the two to call it quits a mere 20 minutes into their set. The band […]
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Jumpship Astronaut — Lights Burn Out
There’s not an acoustic strum, hoot or holler to be found in the EP’s five offerings; instead, you’ll find cavernous ’80s synth landscapes, glitzy guitar hooks and an obvious penchant for catchy melodies, covering the full axis of electro-bent pop artists in the process. Standout track “Something to Outrun” does bear a striking resemblance to […]
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Progress in Color — Get Well
The trio has gone from emo poppers with New Wave underpinnings to the inverse, and it suits the band well, as evidenced by the slick Get Well EP. The cover of Joy Division’s “Love Will Tear Us Apart,” the quintessential post-punk ballad, is a good clue as to the direction in which Progress in Color […]
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Joe Average — The Lullaby Goodbye
The latest evidence of that is The Lullaby Goodbye. The newest project from OKC-by-way-of-Arkansas rapper Joe Average reads like the offspring of Kid Cudi and Citizen Cope, a soulful record that recalls Belize as much as Brooklyn. “The Reaching,” an assured bonfire ballad that sounds like the few moments before falling asleep, is bookended by […]
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Limber Limbs — Limber Limbs
The Oklahoma City indie-rock trio of Ben Bowlware, Derek Moore and Robert Riggs went by People, People back in 2010 when it released a full-length album of heady, orchestrated material. Although still texturally rich and sonically complex, this self-titled, four-track EP aims at your heart as much as it does your cranium. “Golden Rust” — […]
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IndianGiver — Plafond EP
Facetious it may be, but it’s far from pretentious; there isn’t a hint of self-seriousness or egotism here, and it makes for a listening experience that’s both endearing and immersive. The band’s self-released debut, Plafond EP, is an exuberantly garnished three-track release — one that showcases a diverse instrumental breadth, clever arrangements and charming “la-di-da” […]