Oxes/Big'n - split CDEP
(Box Factory)
Arab on Radar, US Maple, Champs and The 1985 come to mind when I think of
rock bands
now-a-days. Chaotic, noisy, riff-heavy insanity is what's cool now, and I
enjoy it quite
a bit. Both The Oxes and Big'n fit in with this group fairly well. Big'n
preceded them
all and has a tendency toward a marriage of the above bands and Tar or
perhaps Jesus
Lizard. It's very pleasing, and although the vocals grew on me, they could
be better. The
Oxes are the perfect combination of Shellac, The Champs, and Arab on Radar.
At no point do
the Oxes lose their charm. Their songs range from Van Halen guitar riffs
(which they
somehow do tastefully) to indecipherable Arab on Radar-esque moments.
The Oxes certainly win the fight on this EP, with a great version of the
song "And Giraffe;
Natural Enemies" starting their half. The last song, "China China China"
ends with some
feedback and swells before a phone conversation starts up, presumably
between one of the
band members and the guy who runs Box Factory Records. It's a pretty funny
conversation,
and when it ends, a song called "USA USA USA" finishes up the CD. The
description the band
gives of this CD on their website is: "Like a Dragon giving a Wizard a
Blowjob."
Being a 3rd level Magic User romantically
involved with a dragon, I couldn't agree more.
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