Releasing three albums in four years, Austin four-piece Pure X has shown a lot of promise and even more artistic flexibility. The band’s fuzzed-out, buzzed-about 2011 debut, Pleasure, was a sweet and simple collection of reverb-heavy ballads of the Jesus and Mary Chain persuasion. Last year’s follow-up, Crawling Up the Stairs, let those songs bake […]
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Public help, private growth
Brent Bryant, OKC’s economic development program manager, said the public financing is being used as an incentive to bring more growth to the downtown area. “We’re turning the lights back on in three historic buildings,” he said. “The $12 million in TIF money is creating right at $88 million in additional investments. This will put […]
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James lankford liberal?
After announcing his bid for Tom Coburn’s soon-to-be vacant senate seat, local Tea Partiers (not to be confused with “partiers”) launched an all-out assault on the fiery, redheaded Republican U.S. Representative of Oklahoma’s 5th District. Apparently, gutting SNAP food stamp benefits, blaming gun violence on “welfare moms” and believing it should be legal to fire […]
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Willis — The Understanding
From the opening R&B samples and powerful horn section that triumphantly blasts the arrival of a new hero on the scene, Willis’ The Understanding perfectly captures the inner-city swagger of a blaxploitation movie icon. Strutting through these dirty streets like he is God almighty, Willis unashamedly kicks the doors in and sits at the head of […]
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Dreaming big
Guitarist Tony Smith and drummer Justin Wilson — founding members of alt-rock outfit Sleeper Agent — found that they lacked a spark after a couple of lackluster gigs around their hometown of Bowling Green, Ky. But upon discovering dynamo frontwoman Alex Kandel at an open mic night singing Adele covers, Sleeper Agent soon became the […]
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New ear’s day
Ask Broken Arrow’s J.D. McPherson if he has made any New Year’s resolutions and a list of abandoned promises from years prior comes out. He has “halfway mastered longbow archery” and is just about finished reading The Grapes of Wrath. “As stalwart an Okie as I claim to be, I’d never read it,” McPherson said. […]
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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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Christmas in November
Naturally, a Black Friday Record Store Day spun off in 2010, standing in direct opposition to the chaotic scenes at big box stores, and this third installment offers dozens of sought-after titles from artists of all sorts. Here’s a roundup of some of the most notable releases: Modern darlings Many of the biggest bands of […]
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Power Pyramid — The God Drums
The album’s searing, swirling guitar riffs lay pinned to defiant bass grooves and drum loops, moving from pretty, tempered aggression (opener “Diving Lessons,” “Holland”) to more edgy, snarling anthems (“Runner,” “Stop Your Pulse”). Early on, Power Pyramid establishes a formula that it refuses to deviate far from, but like Beach House smothered in cigarette smoke, […]
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Gettin’ Dirty
Formed in the Texas border town of El Paso, The Dirty River Boys are an anomaly. Going against a rising tide of heavy metal acts, singer and guitarist Marco Gutierrez said the band didn’t find its home until it relocated to Austin. While he believes it was a “change that needed to happen,” the band […]