Rubber Hose - Blue Morrison

[EP - Indie Rock]

“Blue Morrison alights with a delightfully quirky style, serving up ‘happy-go-lucky rock and roll’ with a smile — and maybe a tinge of irony. Piloted by songwriter and frontman Bradley Morris, the Oklahoma band’s air is as breezy as their home state; darker subject material can only be glimpsed as they swoop across sunny sonic landscapes and glide through tight musical turns with ease. The pairing of dynamic, danceable rock arrangements and spirited, infectious indie melodies is sure to put a spring under your wing.”

I wrote that description after the band performed on our CLM Live session series earlier this year, and it still rings true on the release of their latest single “Piece of the Pie” — the last installment but first ordered in a three song EP titled Rubber Hose.

Press play and you’ll be greeted with slamming, synchronized band hits driving Morris’s raspy, rowdy vocals right into your ears. But before even pressing play, one is greeted by the cartoon characters on the cover art.

With a simple but well-defined design to represent each track, reminiscent of early 2D animation, the aesthetic aligns perfectly with Blue Morrison’s sock-hop stylings and colorful comportment.

Another bite into “Piece of the Pie” takes us to the first hook, where the previously straight-laced rock begins a drunken jazzy swing, and guitars strum the upbeats with clean tones as Morris sings slyly, “Well I could go to bed without my supper / Couldn’t go to bed without a piece of the pie.” This is proceeded by a posse of trumpets, echoing the vocal melody over the swinging ride cymbal and cross-stick pattern.

Though this culminates to a refrain repetition that could rouse any room to a rabble - when the drums return to straight rhythms and the guitars feed some distortion - we still see slip the brief glimpses of something sinister through the tongue-in-cheek delivery, as the lyrics above continue to repeat even as the instrumental wanes; as if there is some (yet unnamed) ‘need’ inside that will not let him rest until satiated, creating a feeling of desire seeming somehow even more potent than that for food.

But in typical Blue Morrison style, this darkness is given a brief nod but not lingered on; after a barbershop quartet style acappella outro, the next track “Bird” (released back in April) soon begins to strut with a cheeky, upbeat groove.

Plucky electric guitar nestles under bright synths and vocal harmonies, anchored by a tight drum beat. Reprieved by a halftime switch with sizzling guitar delay and reverberating melody lines, the chorus then ascends much like the titular character: “Bird came through goin’ seventy-five / We’re both little-bitty pieces in a great big lie.”

Blue Morrison Live at Ponyboy (photo by Lauren Smith)

Even as they seem to be getting closer to some larger realization, Blue Morrison continuously subverts their own optimism; because if it seems too good to be true, it may just be a ‘great big lie’.

Again, these thoughts linger just for a moment - as the instruments cut for the space of four kick drum hits - until a brief saxophone solo launches back into the strutting groove, but soon ‘Bird’ is taking off: “Still sleeping with his clothes on / He cleans up when the smoke’s gone / Does a dance to his own tune.”

The relation between Morris and Bird is one way to interpret the verses; though, if anything, it does not seem to be presented combatively, but rather curiously. He isn’t fighting his demons, he’s dancing with them.

These themes and stylings continue on the third track “Paul & The Devil”, released as a debut single back in 2022, and covered quite well by Make Oklahoma Weirder.

Crystalizing their identity with the completion of their first EP, Rubber Hose shows Blue Morrison taking bigger leaps — and soaring to greater heights each time.

Plum - Sky Hemenway

[EP - Singer-Songwriter]

Like the cat on its cover art (which the project was named after), Sky Hemenway has landed on her feet on her first EP. A sweet slice of life - a woman, her music, and her cat - Plum is a reverie, attempting to hold on to the here and now; those moments that can so easily become washed out by the shimmer of the future — such as seeing a pet grow up and change alongside us, for instance.

From its sonic to visual aesthetic, Plum is delicate and down to earth, but not so mundane or embellished as to become kitsch. Each of the five songs presents a unique contribution to Hemenway’s portrait of her life.

While sometimes much of the modern era of singer-songwriter led indie pop seems inundated with irony-laced attitudes and cynical one liners ready-made for social media captions, she remains relatable and genuine throughout Plum, even among the subtly sleek production.

The music is not necessarily “fluffy” (unlike Plum, I’d imagine), but does extend a soft touch before impact. Immediately evident by the first track and promotional single “Happier”, much of the EP is guided by the gentle pulse of jangly guitars, warm bass, and crisp, deadened drum sounds.

Still, Hemenway’s vocals, despite the varying degrees of saturation and reverb, seem to barely graze the minimal palette; instead floating over everything, pulling the listener closer to these moments with her.

On “Happier”, Sky both speaks to struggling to stabilize her identity - feeling “like my life has passed me by...” - but then speaks to a clarity gained through allowing herself to be present - “…but when I look inside, I feel happier.”

The proceeding “Plum” is a playful reflection of this focused, intentional presence; and somehow, in not reaching for anything, finds something: “I think it’s time I write a song / but when I try to sing along / I’m too worried it’ll come out wrong.”

These modest indie cuts have a striking authenticity about them, allowing them to resonate beyond their runtime: “I am a friend, and I am a lover / I think one day I’d like to be a mother / for now, it’s just me and my Plum… Hey, by the way / Plum is the name of my cat I got yesterday.”

Though “What’s Wrong/What’s Right” floats along with a mellow, swaying rhythm, there is an uneasiness underneath; not hidden, but laid out honestly. Hemenway is concerned there is something she’s missing - unable to know what’s wrong or right - as if there were some secret keeping her from connecting: “I don’t know you / I don’t show you what I’m like.”

If this track flushes those feelings forward, then the following “White Noise” strips everything else away. Starting with minimally picked electric guitar set over the sound of light rain, Sky gracefully confronts this vulnerability by setting up “a space that’s serene,” even if it’s only “delusions of the real thing.”

Sky Hemenway Live at Resonant Head (*photo by Mads*)

By addressing these feelings of inadequacy, she brings herself into a space to find connection, or at least admit her desire for it. The listener is lifted into this space alongside her as the instrumental swells with bass and drifting percussion, the lyrics repeating tenderly until the end, “Stay.”

Even as Hemenway approaches increasing levels of self-awareness and acceptance, she feels tethered to aspects of everyday life that bring her down, waste her time. These are the “Stupid Fucking Things”, where on the chorus she sings: “I’m waiting for a sign / To quit this job and say goodbye / To all the little things that make me hide.”

But she does not give in to those ‘stupid’ things, insisting, “I am good enough / Why am I waiting?” An electronic bass drop pumps synths as wide as possible to expand the soundscape in one final release of doubt, settling in a quiet resolve.

As stated above, Sky Hemenway finds genuine expression on her first EP; in fact, so genuine, that she was, according to her own social media posts, fired because of that last song. So, if you’re also “waiting for a sign”, this is yours. Listen to Plum!

in the halls. - oddfact

[EP - Alternative]

Back in 2022, oddfact also performed on our CLM Live session series — which could be the most color you’ll ever see them in. Ever-enigmatic, this experimental Tulsa band has exclusively expressed themselves within EP’s - doubling their discography with two releasing just this year - each differing in sonic presentation but with similarly, and increasingly, dark aesthetics and attitudes. Indeed, on their latest in the halls., even the cover art casts a grim film over its five tracks.

Cloaked in a de-saturated, black and white aesthetic, oddfact seems to exist inside a cold(er) world, where the sounds within cut to the bone like a brisk wind in the night.

“fuck at all.” begins with a dreary piano and bass riff - impressing a hip-hop influence by the groove pocket and drum processing - coupled with distant synth melodies that stack until reaching a solemn climax as its final hook drones intensely, “Don’t go / There’s a pressure all around my head.”

As if to drown this growing despair, the following “can’t breathe.” drops into a dark, heavy house beat with the kind of pulsing bass and synths fit for some strobing underground club.

Twinkling melodies and subdued vocals occasionally cut through the noise wall: “You gotta keep quiet / We’re just filling voids.” These gritty and gothic soundscapes stand in confident contrast to much of the silkier styles currently dominating the attention of the scene.

Somewhat fittingly, however, the EP seems to open up sonically, and emotionally, on its namesake “in the halls.” The more natural drum and guitar sounds bring a warmer air into the atmosphere; even some string instruments chime in with an almost cinematic staccato on the pre-chorus, and again on the outro.

At the midpoint, this song is a slight lift of the curtain; a subject finally coming into focus, trying to escape the cold world by “find[ing] a place inside”… only now “they’re coming through the walls.”

oddfact Live (*photo by Dood Ranch Productions*)

The penultimate “carcass.” is another dark, dance beat — though exponentially more obscure, as the lyrics are in a foreign language, presumably Russian. Panned metallic synth melodies bounce from stereo side to side as the triplet bass rhythms and four-on-the-floor kick drive forward relentlessly, against the cold night.

“i don’t wanna be loved by you.” cuts through again with more analog tones: clean guitars, introducing an acoustic, and even softer, natural, brush-struck drums. The effect is similar to a 90’s grunge rock sound; which though not necessarily their visual vibe, does not feel too far a leap from their sonic (and stage) approach.

Over the stripped-down bass and drums in the verses, near-whispered vocals utter, “Well it’s been a few weeks since you died / And I still think about you.” A sudden key change in the bridge leads to surrendering, but not defeat, to this pain of separation - “There’s nothing to do to get close to you” - then to release in a massive post-rock outro, bursting at the literal seams (to the point of speaker distortion) in a final eruption of expression.

If there’s a particular purpose to embracing obscurity, perhaps it is to create dynamics; then, when the signal is channeled in such a way, certain emotions can come through all the more clearly. That does not mean obscurity equals falseness; but rather, perhaps, that there is a line between obscurity and obfuscation.

It is that line that oddfact continues to walk on “in the halls.” - an eclectic but engaging group of five songs - pushing their musical, and emotional, boundaries. If it seems difficult to define who, or what, oddfact is… that may be exactly how they want it.

Roundup Rundown features standout singles, EP’s, or albums from the latest edition of Release Roundup - CLM’s monthly catalogue covering music in and around Oklahoma. Selections and writing by Roundup curator David Joachims.

Go here for the full list of releases from November 2023.

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