His and Hers
Joey + Rory
$12.99
Ever listen to sweet country tunes and wonder if the artist actually has a sweetheart he's singing to? Not only do Joey and Rory create catchy country tunes, but also they're a cute couple to boot. Love songs are infinitely more encouraging when the artists just renewed their vows in a little chapel in Sweden. Really? Country stars in Sweden? Yes, and it's adorable.
Beautiful Joey and down-home Rory (often photographed in his overalls, even on the red carpet) look like the perfect couple, and their partnership shines through in their work.
You may remember the husband-and-wife duo from 2008's Can You Duet on CMT. At the request of a friend, the couple competed on the show and ended up finishing in third place. A record contract followed and Joey + Rory released The Life of a Song, their first album together with the smash hit Cheater Cheater. Two short years later, the couple won the ACM Award for Top New Vocal Duo.
Joey + Rory followed up with their second album, appropriately titled Album Two, and are still going strong with the July 31 release of His and Hers. Those who preordered the album already heard Josephine and When I'm Gone, two of the album's 12 tracks. Try to get through When I'm Gone without tearing up.
Currently, Joey + Rory do not have shows scheduled in Texas. The Nashville-based band is sticking to the heartland for the remainder of the summer. However, the two keep their concert calendar updated on their site. Visit joeyandrory.com for more information on the Country duo.
Undersea
The Antlers
$4.99
Underwater footprints, seaweed, a submarine, scuba diver and a dolphin. That's all The Antlers had to show in their promotional video for Undersea.
Fans of The Antlers will find nothing unusual about their puzzling promo. If they take the concept literally in the video, expect a vague adaptation on the EP. The Antlers noted the tracks follow the feeling of floating down beneath the water, in suspension of mind and body. In a press release, The Antlers offer this explanation of their newest release: "It's both the comfort of knowing that some questions have no answers and the torment that we're never meant to know the truth."
If you're puzzled, just accept it. What else can you expect from the Brooklyn-based band who once recorded a song in an hour in a bathtub? The Antlers never cease to intrigue with their alternative music and deep lyrics, no matter how atypical their style may be.
The mellow smooth indie folk rock band sounds like a combination of Bon Iver and Minus the Bear. If you're looking for some new mellow, alternative tunes for after-work relaxation, The Antlers are your perfect solution.
For a simple four-song EP for $5, you actually receive a download packed with more than 20 minutes of music. What a deal!
You'll have to travel to Europe to see them live this month, but perhaps The Antlers will make a reappearance at the House of Blues in Dallas, their local venue of choice. Learn more about The Antlers at antlersmusic.com and visit underseaundersea.com to order the new EP.
Lab 2011
The One O"Clock Lab Band
$20
Every semester, UNT jazz band students give it their all in lab band auditions. There are a variety of groups a student could land in; there's the Nine O"Clock band, the Two O"Clock, the Three O"Clock … But every student clears his or her schedule in hopes of landing a slot in the coveted One O"Clock Lab Band.
Denton is known for its music scene, and UNT's impressive jazz studies curriculum attracts the brightest, most talented jazz musicians. Since 1946, The One O"Clock Lab Band has been auditioning students and performing on campus and worldwide.
Listening to The One O"Clock Lab Band's swinging tunes makes you stop and wonder: Are these really students? The musicians spend hours upon hours perfecting their jazz rifts and slamming out solos like they have lungs the size of bass drums.
Director and trombonist Steve Wiest is responsible for preparing the band for concerts around the world and recordings prestigious enough to submit to the Grammy Awards. In The One O"Clock Lab Band's history, the group received six Grammy nominations.
The One O"Clock accepts the best of the best and it shows. Lab 2011, the latest yearly recording, showcases everything from Hip Pickles by renowned musician Lou Marini Jr. to a piece titled The Last Theme Song, written by Wiest himself. Lab 2012, a recording with the latest batch of musicians, will be released soon.
Learn more about The One O"Clock on the Web site, theoneoclock.com. You can order Lab 2011 through site or the UNT jazz studies Web site, jazz.unt.edu. Pop it in for a relaxing evening over wine with friends.
