Dead Gaze
Cole Furlow’s latest feat under his moniker Dead Gaze comes after establishing himself in Oxford and beyond with his first two albums “Dead Gaze” and “Brain Holiday.” Furlow is still keeping it weird and grunge-y. But there is a hint of something fun along with grunge and weird. I should have guessed that in the way I acquired the album.
I happened to see this tweet from @DEADGAZE: “Anyone here still like pop hooks? DM me if you want to hear one.” Uh, yeah.
But I didn’t receive a pop hook from Furlow. I received something better — his upcoming album, “Easy Travels.” And yes, it is poppy, but Dead Gaze is still perpetuating his trademark weirdness throughout. If you’re looking for somewhere to start in the sea of new Oxford music, this might be a good choice. He’s already debuted a song from the album that kind of sounds like running through a field of flowers in urgent love, “Constantly Happy.” “Easy Travels” Drops Aug. 26, just in time for the start of school.
Reels
Kate Teague leads the Oxford-based band Reels at a performance this spring.
As a fresh wave of independent musicians washes through Oxford, another washes out, including beloved indie-pop group Reels and electro-rock collaboration Group Text. Shane Prewitt, an Oxford drummer and member of both acts, will leave town to Chicago, Jean Marie Lalande, saxophone for Reels, will return to his home country of France, and Kate Teague, frontwoman, vocalist, and guitarist in Reels, will join the team at the always prolific Thacker Mountain Radio as the interim executive director/producer. “That was my first and only band, so far,” Teague said sitting at a table in High Point Coffee, where she previously focused on her Thacker Mountain duties. “Honestly, it really hadn’t hit me yet that we were finishing forever until I was performing … I was just so happy to see how much support we’ve had throughout just the year that we’ve been a band,” Teague added.
Prewitt’s exit leaves a dent to be filled in the Oxford music scene. Prewitt, who also has played percussion for acts like Unwed Teenage Mothers and Tangles, said “The biggest thing for me was moving out of the Dude Ranch,” his former home and DIY spot where he could regularly practice.
When it became apparent that Reels and Group Text, Prewitt’s collaboration with former Reels’ bassist Jeremiah Wills, would inevitably break up at the end of the summer, both acts took to the Proud Larry’s stage to play farewell— Reels with Suicide Prevention Club on July 21, and Group Text with Lo Noom on July 8. The shows were the last Oxford would hear of the bands, but they also brought to light two fresh Oxford acts. Shane specifically booked Lo Noom for his Oxford debut, setting Oxford’s open-armed tone for the young solo act.
Delta Springs
Photo courtesy Delta Springs.
A fusion of college rock and a neo-’60s jam-band, Delta Springs seems to always be playing in a post-Grateful Dead haze. The four-piece act stepped into Oxford’s spotlight this spring at Double Decker, when they joined Saturday’s excellent line-up featuring bluesy crooners and reggae pop. Vocalist and guitarist Sam Stevens said Led Zeppelin mostly inspired him, while bassist Patrick Mink said he unsurprisingly liked to emulate Grateful Dead. These influences are palpable, even in some of their indie-rock covers — lately consisting of Talking Heads and the Pixies. Watch for these guys on the fraternity and bar circuit in Oxford.
Satellite Company
Satellite Company is a four-piece band from Jackson, but recently, they’ve ventured into the Oxford music scene as well. The band’s self-titled EP has an alternative-rock feel, with a good mix of slower and rockier tunes. The group’s two vocalists do a good job harmonizing and the instrumentals, sometimes slow and heavy, are solid at backing the track. They contrast the more paced pieces in their discography well with faster tracks like “Sell it to Me,” but never stray too far from their core sound. They’re a great fit for a college town like Oxford and could be a great fit at a few places on the Square.
Lo Noom
A budding star in production as well as songwriting, Andrew Newman debuted his Lo Noom project at Proud Larry’s over the summer to an enthusiastic crowd. Lo Noom looks to be the next big thing in the Oxford DIY scene, with a style that pulls from influences like Unknown Mortal Orchestra, James Blake and Radiohead to create dance-jams and slower love songs alike. Newman released a full album, “Groovy” in 2015, in which he showed his prowess as a producer by sampling artists like Sufjan Stevens and Tame Impala. In April of this year, he came back with a six-song EP, “Pretty Woman,” which focused more on his guitar work and songs that would better fit a live setting. Neither the EP nor the live show disappointed.
Albums to check out:
“Cherish the Cabin” courtesy Muscle Beach Records
This summer the first post-Young Buffalo EP was released from Jim Barrett, who dropped a six-song EP from his solo project, Swear Tapes, on Muscle Beach Records. Titled “Cherish the Cabin,” it’s hard to find a better set of songs to drive around in the Mississippi summer to. “Blasé Blasé” is the first song on the EP, and it strikes gold with a chorus that begs to be sung along with. Meanwhile, “Pushover” starts off with an addicting keyboard part and then adds in yet another fantastic chorus. Every song’s melodies are extremely catchy and the guitar work is stellar the whole way through. If you need a feel-good indie-rock/pop fix, look no further than Swear Tapes.
“With you in Acadia” courtesy Pinebox
Pinebox firmly established themselves in the Oxford music scene when they released their debut EP, “With You in Acadia,” in June. The five songs included elements of emo, indie-rock and shoegaze to form an impressively polished debut for the relatively new four-piece. Hitting on a sound not typically heard around Oxford, Pinebox brings an energetic debut that balances perfectly with the emotional subject matter of their music. Pinebox doesn’t hold back lyrically, delving into some sad subject matter, but at no point does the EP sound overly melancholy. The guitar riff on the track “Rasselas” is hypnotizing, as the rest of the instruments build around it into a crashing finish in what is definitely one of the best tracks on the EP.
“Noodles” courtesy Muscle Beach Records
Starman Jr. is sad-boy (or girl) indie rock that, at times, feels very pure, like sitting beneath a tree of rustling leaves. At other times it’s dirty and psych-y, like brown post-watercolor water. Starman Jr.’s Adam Porter released “Noodles” this summer through Muscle Beach. Complete with the sounds of an atmospheric piano and light-handed guitar strums, it’s the perfect album to watch the transition from summer into fall. Starman Jr. is helping Oxford stay weird, and we like it.
“II” courtesy Muscle Beach Records
Bonus is the project of Oxford musician Kieran Danielson, who is also one-third of Muscle Beach. His latest, “II,” recorded with Adam Porter of Starman Jr., is perfect for laid-back listeners. You may have seen Bonus’ debut music video for “Alrighty” released last spring featuring friends and hot dogs. Bonus sounds soft and nice, like friends and hot dogs. If you’re a fan of Death Cab for Cutie, or any kind of soft indie-rock, give Bonus a listen.
