Without consulting the track listing, I tried to associate any of its 13 songs with the visitors. Not counting the needlessly 10-minute cover of “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” with Erykah Badu’s vocals, I was able to place one. My point? This is not a collaborative album in the true sense; this […]
indie
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So Sheik
“We used to jam with a Pakistani guy, so we thought we’d be The Sheiks,” lead singer Matt Milligan said, laughing. “Also, he’s a highly fashionable man. We may not be Pakistani, but we are pretty fashionable.” The Sheiks fill a glaring void in the Oklahoma music scene left empty by the February 2009 demise […]
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Montu — Bloom
Opener “Dock Ellis” is a doozy at nearly nine minutes, although it never overstays its welcome. John Barkley flexes his muscle here with keyboard work of Stevie Wonder pedigree, while Jon Godsy is equally impressive with the bass line throughout. “Shama Pt. 1” and “Skip Dickson” borrow from lo-fi purveyors Toro y Moi and Ariel […]
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The Disco Exorcist
Opening with a disclaimer that the producers have no memory of making the motion picture, the indie feature obviously revels in that era of exploitation, immediately passing itself off as a ’70s no-budget, B-horror pic as authentically as it can: heavily embedded grain and scratches, a couple of “SHOT MISSING” frames, reel-to-reel tape decks, lava […]
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Cusp — Nothing Proper
Cusp succeeds in the way that Grizzly Bear, Bon Iver and Fleet Foxes do: creating songs that sound like concentrated moments of life rather than just pieces of art. There’s nothing artificial about Nothing Proper — only true beauty to relive in each passing song. Rapp studies vocal performance at ACM@UCO, and it shows. His […]
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Various artists — The Rock ’n’ Roll Dreams of Duncan Christopher: Songs from the Motion Picture Soundtrack
Starring and written by Jack Roberts, the movie centers on an aspiring musician who moves to Tulsa to make it big singing karaoke. Naturally, the soundtrack dishes out a heavy dose of Oklahoma indie-rock heavyweights, and the album is a solid showing of all the talent the state has to offer. Ryan Lindsey’s airy, acoustic […]
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Admirals — Admirals
Seconds into “Sirens,” one can tell that Radiohead and Muse register high on the band’s radar, yet more bound by convention than either. If that reads as a dig, it’s not necessarily meant to be; as much as Admirals obviously lust after that huge, space-rock sound, it also strives to be catchy and accessible. It’s […]
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Sleigh Bells — Reign of Terror
This stuff combines all my dirtiest, guilty-pleasure pop secrets into a single, distinct sound with a stylistic aesthetic to match (captured by the awesome bloodstained Keds album art). In fact, for funsies, why don’t we run through that checklist of cheesy things I love?• ’60s girl-group vocals from a super-hot lady? Yup.• Drippy Rick Springfield […]
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Indie 500
On the surface, indie-pop duo Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. and the movie “Jurassic Park” don’t have much in common. Lacking a Jeff Goldblum connection or thorough understanding of genetic engineering, the band still chose to host a special screening of the film at the legendary Alamo Drafthouse in Austin, Texas, during a recent two-night stand. […]
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Soundcheck: Woody Awards nominations
Back after a long year of rocking and rolling, hipping and hopping, twanging and clapping, Oklahoma Gazette’s Woody Awards are once again calling for nominations. You may nominate up to three bands in as many of the categories as you wish by commenting on this article with your picks (see the example below). Please be […]