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Oso Closo proves that
everything really is bigger in Texas. Their lush string arrangements and
massive guitar solos are almost as big as burly front man Adrian Hulet's
beard. Hulet's soulful vocals and piano are assisted by four alums of
the renowned University of North Texas jazz program. The jazz tendencies
allow a freedom and spontaneity that one wouldn't expect from a typical
rock band.
“Oso Closo is remarkable. These people can write, arrange, sing and play
in a league that only a few get to - with a lot of hard work and talent.
Look, I'm not a big progressive rock guy, being the rockabilly "whatever
it is that I am" type, but I do know, this is a group that can put
together all of the skills of all of the greatest prog-rock types from
the past, and make them into something great for the future. Their
skills blow me away. I especially like the sound of Adrian's voice and
how the guitars can sometimes go off into the land of Brian May from
"Queen". It's all kind of a mind blower. Check 'em out.” – Jim Heath,
aka The Reverend Horton Heat
"On their debut album, Rest, the band makes even the most complicated
songs sound easy. The technicality of 7/8 time signatures ("Reverend")
and lightning-fast guitar arpeggiations ("The Friendship Song") flow
effortlessly when played by a group of such talented, degreed musicians.
"As for 'Poetic,' the sludgy, four-on-the-floor verses explode into
dueling guitar solos and string accompaniment. They are able to
tastefully meld the piano singer-songwriter and indie-rock string
section with face-melting Guitar Hero extravagance."
-NPR's Open Mic, August 6, 2007
"a very original rock band with insanely good musicians. ...intelligent
songwriting...soulful vocals; lots of rock; incredible guitar
playing..."
-Bryce Avary (The Rocket Summer)
"attacks each song like it's the last one they'll ever play...straight
ahead pop-rock trafficking in emotions that sound best against monster
guitars and delivered with the throat-shredding intensity that modern
top 40 lightweights wouldn't dare tackle."
-Preston Jones (Fort Worth Star-Telegram)
"grandiose, ambitious songs. ...high-concept metal guitars,
less-shredded than thoughtfully executed, plus operatic sensibilities
and poppy, zippy strings. ...Oso Closo doesn't give a shit about the
conventions of modern music."
-Jonanna Widner (Dallas Observer)
"a disarmingly talented band...at odds with both the mainstream and the
indie/alt worlds...fusing self-conscious grandiosity with virtuosity,
R&B-informed vocals, nerd rock angst and the lumbering aesthetics of
late classic rock, Oso Closo is something new.
"Rest is a surprisingly mature work, highlighting Oso's individual
players, Adrian Hulet and Chris McQueen's ambitious tunesmithing, and
engineer Ben Hulet's grasp of the big sound. Adrian's impassioned
singing takes center stage. Similarly, McQueen's lyrical soloing is
revelatory, elucidating chord changes that would daunt most of the
guitarslingers in the neighborhood."
-Steve Carter (Modern Luxury Dallas Magazine)
"They've developed a sound distinctively their own, with a back-woods
melodic-rock beat with atypical lyrics...Adrian Hulet sings effortlessly
about matters of the human condition...The quality of artistry is the
common thread that holds the sound together, and the band plays tighter
than gangbusters."
-Shane Epting (Harder Beat Magazine)
Please visit
www.osocloso.com
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