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OX
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Dust Bowl Revival
Second Nature Recordings
Release: 6/21/2005
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Rated:
Review by:
Melanie Moore
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OX. The name is simple, and that seems to be the theory
behind their music. Dust Bowl Revival is a
combined effort of Mark Browning, Ruby Loves U, Ryan
Bishops, Josh Turnbull, as well as several others. The album
is truly the result of Mark Browning waking up and realizing
he hates what he's doing, so he changes it. Simple. The
result? A retro album that could fall under the categories of
folk or alt-country.
Dust Bowl Revival is a collaboration that was
simply a revolution against all that used to be, and it turned
out amazing results. With no fear of failing they tried
different things, made fun of their older stuff and broke out
of the everyday mold of what is expected in music today.
New sounds were tackled, and the entire album has a feeling
of delicacy and tenderness. The entire album is done in
lo-fi; likely the best sounding lo-fi you'll find. It was all
recorded on tape at once, and all the noises that come along
with that are included in the album. It is raw and
unpolished, but that just gives it that refreshing original
sound you know you'll love. Canadians love it, they are the
first independent band in over ten years to make the
number one spot on Canada's college radio charts (beating
out beloved Radiohead), and they stayed in the top 10 for an
entire year.
So what's so addicting about this sound that people can't get
enough of?
The most obvious trait of OX is the honest lyrics - sometimes
even resembling conversations. Mostly however the words
tell stories of road travels, the reason for naming the album
Dust Bowl Revival. The lyrics show vivid
depictions of memories past, and listening to the album feels
sort of like watching an old movie with no words, just the
other way around. The music only supports the stories told
in the lyrics, adjusting to suit the mood of each song allowing
us to feel the same freedom, loneliness, and thrilling feelings
Browning wrote about.
The third song on the album, "Stolen Car," showcases all
that OX has to offer up. Opening up with simple piano and
vocals, slowly introducing strings, then slamming the door
and going right into a retro pop sound at the end shows
there was no real set plan for this song, or the entire album,
and what happens happens - and it is wonderful. All the
songs are written with that same style of simply letting it go
and flying with it.
Simply put, OX is apparently one of Mark Browning's best
projects, and that's saying something. |
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