Photo: Parker Fitzgerald If Moon Tides, the full-length debut of indie duo Pure Bathing Culture, reads as a breath of fresh air, then Sarah Versprille and Daniel Hindman accomplished what they set out to find for themselves just over two years ago. In 2011, the pair left its cramped digs in the frenzied, urban sprawl […]
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Bottoms up
Photo: Mark Jaworski Things are definitely looking more up than down and out for The Front Bottoms. The indie punk act spent more than a few tours playing hole-in-the-walls and sleeping on floors but it now finds itself selling out sizable clubs and getting pegged to open up for well-known bands like Brand New, which […]
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Wax poetic
When Oklahoma City indie outfit Bored Wax was looking for a name, it decided to pay homage to its three loves: surf rock, wordplay and indifference. “We were all listening to older surf and punk music, and this name kind of popped up,” singer and guitarist Billy Muschinske said. “We thought we’d change the spelling […]
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The Best Local Albums of 2013
10. Johnny Polygon — The Nothing 2013 belonged to the introspective rappers — the ones who found their strength in going soft and whose heads, hearts and souls lay open for listeners to poke around in. Tulsa emcee Johnny Polygon tips open his brain like a cap on The Nothing, baring weed-soaked nuggets of self-truths that are […]
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Various Artists — A Blackwatch Christmas Vol. III (Holly-Tonk & Jingle Beats)
Holly-Tonk opens with Tulsa’s Desi & Cody, who saunter in with the timeless “It Just Ain’t Christmas Without You.” Empty Bottles follow suit with the saloonfriendly “Kiss Them All Goodnight.” The Wurly Birds punctuate their Beatles-esque “Mr. Nicholas” with some Memphis blues while Beau Jennings channels Tom Petty (à la the 1980s) in the charming […]
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Colourmusic — A Very Special Colourmusic Christmas: Vol. 1
The band calls A Very Special Colourmusic Christmas: Vol. 1 “the indie reponse to Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s ‘Wizards in Winter.’” And while that’s most certainly an apt description, it feels even more like the soundtrack to a lost How The Grinch Stole Christmas! sequel — a whimsical, colorful collection of songs whose quirks are only matched […]
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Short Term 12
Although she has been acting since the age of 8, Brie Larson only started to become “a thing” in 2009, as the daughter of Toni Collette’s dissociative-identity housewife on the Showtime series United States of Tara. For all three seasons, the 20-something Larson stood out by playing sassy, brassy and smug. She was so good […]
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The Flaming Lips — Peace Sword
For those who have been clamoring for a return to the more optimistic, life-affirming version of The Lips (or, as some would call them, “songs”), Peace Sword ought to appease — albeit subtly. The six-song EP was conceived after being asked to write music for the end credits of the recently released sci-fi flick Ender’s […]
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Pink Pony — Whatever
Like a sweaty night in some post-apocalyptic, deep space night club, Whatever shifts from dreamy dirges (“Besides Me,” “Always Crashing in Your Car”) to sci-fi, new-wave hooks (“I’m Like You,” “Hot Hot Holiday”) over a series hushed, interstitials à la M83. The duo hits its stride in dark but still bubbly pop tracks like “Fated […]
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Grooms — Infinity Caller
Through these changes, Johnson remained steadfast in his approach, hammering away at a sound that pays homage to his roots and influences while, at the same time, retaining a distinct individualism. Now, with two albums released on two separate labels behind them, Grooms sound rejuvenated on their third proper full-length, Infinity Caller, their most intricately […]