For the guys of the Nashville-based Blacklist Royals, 2012 was a bad year. “2011 was really good for us,” said Nat Rufus, lead singer and guitarist, noting the group was coming off its debut disc and the Warped Tour. “And then 2012 happened. We had all these new songs written and the plan was to […]
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Tony Romanello and the Black Jackets — Pleased to Meet Us
Sure, Romanello doesn’t have the gravitas of a Westerberg and Stinson, but he doesn’t need to. Those guys have already paved the road; let’s just let Tony and the Black Jackets drive on it. “The Way It Goes” is a good intro to the group, and a song I’m sure kills live, with its intonations […]
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Portraiture — Real as Ritual
From the gorgeous guitar on the instrumental “Miami Weiss (Part I)” (coming off like The Cure’s poppiest song to date) to “I Studied for the Drug Test” (with such biting observations, I’m sure it’s what Morrissey would sound like if raised on an Okie diet of steak and potatoes), Siler’s solo debut is unique to […]
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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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The Flaming Lips — The Terror
In it, he detailed — with a vague, yet purposeful candor — the internal struggles endured by both he and his bandmates, ruminating on a metaphysical desire for control over one’s life and, conversely, the self-inflicted, masochistic chaos that can often accompany it. These pleas for understanding, he ultimately concluded, were nothing but exercises in […]
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Ever so Slightly
Nearly 20 years in, and California’s Slightly Stoopid is still on top of its game. The reggae-punk fusion act released its seventh studio album, Top of the World, last August to its highest Billboard chart position to date. “It’s amazing. We’re living a blessed life,” guitarist, bassist and singer Miles Doughty said. “I don’t know […]
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Taddy Porter — Stay Golden
Grammy winner Mark Neill (the man behind The Black Keys’ Brothers) co-produced Stay Golden with Dave Cobb (Jamey Johnson, Shooter Jennings), and that firepower shows. Stay Golden isn’t fool’s gold. It’s the real deal. It begins with “Changes,” a brilliant, self-knowing nod to the group’s new direction that moves with a cocky walk. “The Gun” […]
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Songs of the South
The Kamals Photo: Stephen Carradini Taking place March 12-17, the event’s switch from the single-story Friends Bar to The 512, a two-story location, allowed for two stages without too much noise interference, which is almost always a problem at SXSW. The open-air upstairs stage had a bit of peripheral sound invasion, but even during Samantha […]
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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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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 […]