Aqueduct

Aqueduct is where indie rock meets mainstream pop. The band (in the studio, it's mainly Tulsa jack-of-all-trades David Terry, although other players join live) takes the now-revered sounds of '80s synth bands and combines those with the guilty pleasures of MTV-friendly heavy metal. These songs are so catchy they make...

By Shannon Sutlief

February 10, 2005

[
        {
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Inline Content - Mobile Display Size",
          "component": "18855504",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "17105533",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18349797",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17105532",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18349797",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - Leaderboard Tower - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17105535",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        }
      ]

Aqueduct is where indie rock meets mainstream pop. The band (in the studio, it's mainly Tulsa jack-of-all-trades David Terry, although other players join live) takes the now-revered sounds of '80s synth bands and combines those with the guilty pleasures of MTV-friendly heavy metal. These songs are so catchy they make your head spin, and the lyrics are A-plus work in high school poetry class. I first heard "Growing Up With GNR" in 2002 on Aqueduct's Oklahoma release Power Ballads and was thrilled to find it on I Sold Gold, the first full-length on Barsuk. The song starts with girl-obsessed lyrics that would work in a Broadway musical if stripped of the fuzzy electronic drums, then takes a flamboyant rock turn with the sing-along chorus: "I was only 12/Damn it all to hell/I was feeling fine/Hearing Axl Rose on the radio/Singing 'Sweet Child of Mine.'" At times, the lyrics lean toward maudlin ("The Unspeakable") or cheesy (the earnestly sung hip-hop slang on "Hardcore Days & Softcore Nights"), but mostly Terry crafts his I Love the '80s influences into fun, dance-inspiring ditties that have all the magnetism of pop, without the disposability.

Become A Member

BEFORE YOU GO...
Can you help us continue to share our stories? Since the beginning, Dallas Observer has been defined as the free, independent voice of Dallas — and we'd like to keep it that way. Our members allow us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls.