Horse Thief is not a psychedelic folk band, like its members want you to believe; the Oklahoma City quintet plays trendy indie pop with some earthy guitar tones and lyrics that occasionally make mention of geography. Self-affixed or otherwise, labels aren’t necessarily indicative of artistic worth, yet framework and context are crucial in determining whether […]
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Beaming with blues
America’s musical roots are entrenched firmly in the blues. From the field hollers of slaves to the guttural Southern gospel of the late 19th century, early blues drew upon feelings and sounds that later paved the way for much of today’s popular music. It’s appropriate, then, that Luella and the Sun hail from Nashville, Tenn., […]
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Dream warriors
Those going to see Saturday’s Sundress show at Opolis, attention: Front man Ryan McAdams wants to make sure that you know his band won’t be there. Kind of. “The name is actually Shrines now. Sundress is no longer a band,” he said. “Shrines is actually playing the spot, and that’s the new group. It’s pretty […]
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The Hitt Boyz — AlphaCat
While it’s not exactly clear whether this Oklahoma City quartet is hopelessly self-aware or merely revels in modest drollery, what is clear is that AlphaCat sounds nothing like you’d expect — which is to say, it’s actually pretty damn good. Clocking in at just under 11 minutes, it consists of only three tracks: “Best Catt,” […]
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Range rovers
When Ruth Smith and Derek Kutzer began making music together as Blackstone Rangers in 2011, they didn’t know what kind to make. Today, the now-trio — with the addition of multi-instrumentalist Daniel Bornhorst — still, proudly, doesn’t know. “We haven’t honed in on our sound, and I don’t think that we should, honestly,” Smith said. […]
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Depth & Current — Transient
Transient, the Norman noise outfit’s second LP (if you can call it that) marks a departure from the sprawling psychedelic anthems of its self-titled debut. At eight songs, this mini-album effort clocks in at less than 14 minutes, with each track less than two minutes. The band — front man Chris Harris, guitarist Derek Lemke […]
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Out with a Bang
Photo: Doug Schwarz Oklahoma City punk-rock outfit The Boom Bang is headed to the big glass house in the sky, exiting this world in a blaze of smoke bombs, cheap beer, broken glass and partial male nudity. Pizza cookers, firework vendors and local music fans alike mourn the loss of one of the greatest live […]
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Street cred
In grade school, a lot of us were too busy playing Nintendo and sipping Capri Sun to even think about attempting anything artistic. But not Jabee Williams, aka Oklahoma City rapper Jabee. “I wrote my first rap when I was 7. That’s when I started,” Jabee said. “It just went on from there. I went […]
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SXSW 2013: Tallows
Oklahoma City band Tallows uses this technique frequently and to great effect. During the song “Small Talk” last night at The Buffalo Lounge, two guitarists and the bassist each hammered away at their fretboards. The resulting intricate indie rock was impressive in composition and performance. Tallows’ music includes elements of charming indie pop, fast ’n’ […]
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Mac ’n’ cheese
Photo: Brad Elterman Things can move pretty fast — faster than you want, sometimes. Just 22, Canadian garage rocker Mac DeMarco recorded his 2012 debut EP, Rock and Roll Nightclub, as a personal, private experiment of Ramones-influenced power pop slowed to a creep, and brandished the cover with a lipstick-smearing selfie. An unexpected hit, it […]