“Black Leather Demon” is a cranium-pounding opening that recalls a time when Marilyn Manson wasn’t a bloated joke, but the album really kicks things into gear with the second cut, the title track, a song so sweeping and beautiful that it would be on my playlist for traversing a futuristic wasteland of death and darkness, […]
songs
Posted inMusic
Mountain Smoke — Roads Well Traveled
Maybe enough time has passed that I can enjoy this truly American art form once again. How can songs like the Brooks & Dunn cover “Brand New Man” or the redemptive “Wild Horses” not make you fall in love with this Oklahoma group? The original “American Dream” is a patriotic spiritual that isn’t cloying or […]
Posted inMusic
Plan of action
Crowds at a Dillinger Escape Plan show can expect to hear booming drums, roaring vocals and heavy guitar played at breakneck speed. And maybe, if you’re lucky, the cruel snap of bones. “A Dillinger show is always unpredictable … and always full of bumps and bruises,” said guitarist Ben Weinman, who is wrapping up rehab […]
Posted inMusic
Them Hounds — Them Hounds
Given the parameters of what actually constitutes the blues, it’s easy to see why: There just aren’t that many variations of the genre’s 12-bar framework that retain that “bluesy feel.” Instead, its divergences usually come in the form of vocal variance and guitar solos, and Them Hounds thrive within these confines. Two things immediately jump […]
Posted inMusic
Various artists — Support Local Heroes: Vol 1
But music has more to offer than just fun and games. And with the sting of May’s natural disasters still weighing heavy on Oklahomans, Support Local Heroes: Vol 1 — a 10-song compilation of Chevy Music Showcase artists benefitting ongoing disaster-relief efforts — seeks to provide both spiritual and financial aid for those affected by […]
Posted inMusic
Juggin’ out
The Great American Jug Band Photo: John Thomas For calling itself The Great American Jug Band, the Norman-grown group is conspicuously light on the jug part. “We own a jug,” front man Will Gardner said. “We just don’t have anyone to blow into it.” But really, the jug always was meant to be more than […]
Posted inMusic
‘Vital’ signs
Eleven years in, and few alternative bands can claim the sort of consistent success and stability that Anberlin has. With six successful studio albums and tours with 30 Seconds to Mars and Taking Back Sunday under its belt, the group has enjoyed a smooth ride. “A lot of bands can’t keep together a year, let […]
Posted inMusic
Smith Westerns — Soft Will
Traditionally, bands aren’t really supposed to hit rock ’n’ roll puberty until they approach their 30s. And you’re definitely not supposed to sound as primed and polished as Smith Westerns do on Soft Will — their third studio album — when you’re barely into your 20s. Admittedly, the act’s youth and the notion of trad-rock […]
Posted inMusic
Maurice Johnson — Peace, Love & Jazz
“Hello My Brother” has a sweet flute interlude that, contrary to the title, leaves me wanting to say, “Hello, my lover,” as I lay her down on a down-filled bed. The Spanish-flavored “A Taste of the Sun” follows this idea up nicely with an aural frolic on a secluded Mexican beach, if only to […]
Posted inMusic
Various artists — Woody Guthrie at 100!: Live at the Kennedy Center
One look at the artists featured on Woody Guthrie at 100!: Live at the Kennedy Center — a concert album/DVD recorded on what would have been his 100th birthday — and his far-reaching impact is clear. Who else could influence both Old Crow Medicine Show and Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello to the same […]