Thursday 20 Jun
 
 

Kanye West — Yeezus

Try as you might, but there’s no escaping Kanye West. Turn on the TV, radio, computer — hell, take a stroll downtown and you might see his mug projected on the side of a building. It’s an undeniable fact of life in 2013: Kanye West is bigger than Buddha, Krishna and The Beatles (today, anyway) and he’ll be the first to let you know about it.
06/18/2013 | Comments 0

John Moreland — In the Throes

With the soul of a poet and the look of a Sons of Anarchy extra, Tulsa’s John Moreland has been gifted the sort of gravely, booming voice that does Bruce Springsteen proud and a similar understanding of the universal human experience. It’s made for some fantastic records — both as a solo artist and with his dissolved Black Gold Band — and In the Throes is his best yet.
06/19/2013 | Comments 0

Jumpship Astronaut — Lights Burn Out

Oklahoma has never been the haven for electronic rock music that it is for country, folk and, as of late, psychedelic pop, but from the sound of Lights Burn Out, Oklahoma City upstart Jumpship Astronaut seems intent on changing that.
06/12/2013 | Comments 0

Various artists — Reaching Out

Like so many Oklahomans, the local music scene has responded with generosity and grace in the wake of last month’s tragedy in Moore. In the weeks since, droves of local musicians have banded together for benefit concerts and radio marathons to raise funds for the relief effort, and with extraordinary results.
06/04/2013 | Comments 0

Progress in Color — Get Well

It’s been a long, bumpy ride for Glenpool’s Progress in Color, which saw a record deal with Epic evaporate before even one record could come of it, but it’s led the outfit to where it was supposed to be.
06/04/2013 | Comments 0
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Boner jams


The Texas dream-poppers of Skeleton Coast couldn’t have picked a more appropriate role model for their music: The Flaming Lips.

Joshua Boydston January 23rd, 2013  

Skeleton Coast with Depth & Current and New Fumes
8 p.m. Friday
Opolis
113 N. Crawford, Norman
opolis.org
820-0951
$8

Not many bands look forward to their first trip to Oklahoma as much as Fort Worth, Texas’ Skeleton Coast … although a quick listen to its spotless, self-titled debut is telling.

The hazy, textured and delightfully out-there disc owes a certain debt to Oklahoma’s native sons The Flaming Lips, whom front man Bobby McCubbins notes Skeleton Coast openly admires, making the tour leg a pilgrimage of sorts.

The five-piece’s show is even something of a tribute.

“I like it late, loud and weed-filled,” McCubbins said. “Our live shows are usually soaked in reverb and fog. I guess we play louder and usually have bright lights behind us.”

If it sounds trippy, that’s because it is. “The crowd usually gets in this weird daze,” McCubbins said. “Some songs, they scream; some songs, they just stare. I don’t know if they are bored or moved.”

It’s most likely the latter. Since forming in 2010, the self-described “swim rock” act has become a North Texas favorite, getting pegged to play with Gardens & Villa, Das Racist, School of Seven Bells and Oklahoma City’s Stardeath and White Dwarfs.

“When we started the band, we only wanted to play for friends and maybe record somewhere down the road. We had no clue we would be getting to open for our favorite bands and meeting the sweetest people around,” McCubbins said. “We wanted to create an event for people. Fort Worth at the time was so stuck in the ’70s rock thing. It was just boring. We felt the urge for something new.”

Along with Sundress and New Fumes (which is also on the bill for Friday’s show at Opolis), Skeleton Coast has carved a niche for dream-pop freaks not unlike the Lips, Stardeath, Evangelicals and Colourmusic have here.

It promises to get all that much more interesting, given McCubbins’ recent addiction to Kate Bush and Cocteau Twins.

“The only hint I can give is we just got all these new drum machines and synths,” he said.

2013 will bring more writing and recording, as well as an official showcase at South by Southwest in March and some national touring. The band definitely is taking the Lips’ approach: Bigger and crazier is always better.

“We really want to do more mixed-media type shows, with a more seizure-inducing visual experience,” McCubbins said. “That’s something we will figure out. For now, we are just working on making the music more and more. If you focus and work hard, everything else will fall into place ... at least I hope so.”

Hey! Read This:
Colourmusic interview
Depth & Current interview   
Stardeath and White Dwarfs interview


 
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