ARTiST: Ox
ALBUM: Burnout
BiTRATE: 215kbps avg
QUALiTY: EAC Secure Mode / LAME 3.97 Final / -V2 --vbr-new / 44.100Khz
LABEL: WeeWerk Records
GENRE: Indie
SiZE: 44.49 megs
PLAYTiME: 0h 27min 28sec total
RiP DATE: 2009-11-16
STORE DATE: 2009-11-03
Track List:
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01. Burnout 2:45
02. Prom Queen 3:02
03. Unknown Legend 4:33
04. Ojibway Diner 3:51
05. Your Old Buick 3:49
06. Speedwagon 4:40
07. Miss Idaho Redux 4:48
Release Notes:
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Yesterday Shane mentioned that very few records are crafted to accentuate the
oranges and yellows that grab your eye when the first cold winds hit. While I
donÆt really agree with that, he certainly gave me a jump off point for the new
Ox record. The newly appointed kings of the Sudbury, alt. country scene are
fixing to release their new long player, Burnout and itÆs perfectly tailored for
the mornings when the sun just just can't warm you enough and leaves float sadly
to the ground.
On that inevitable day when summer fades, you get hit with reality and are left
with lonely nights thinking about the good times long since past and regrets you
hold as close as your most treasured childhood memory. If these songs are like a
glimpse into front man Mark BrowningÆs mind, you can see that heÆs looking back
on the last few years with that same mix of pride and lament. MarkÆs drawl still
hits you in the gut, but the band seems to have taken a step back from the
muscular riffs that you settle into on the road when the frustrations that go
along with night after night playing shows and day after day watching the
odometer turn. Burnout plays more like a band coming to terms with life than
avoiding those realities with booze, weed and the adrenaline you only get when
the stage lights clink on.
That common ground helps make Burnout a record you absorb and fall in love with,
not just listen to when the mood feels right. When the record opens with
Burnout, Mark looks back on the hardships you have to deal with on tour, but
unlike so many Springsteen-ian glory days type tracks, you wonder if he wants to
leave that life behind. Stolen gear, hangovers, car accidents and the heavy
weight of not having a home have taken a toll on the band. You can hear the
exhaustion tucked into every line and those disappointments are the type of
moments most people try to gloss over. We tend to remember only the best
moments, but MarkÆs refuses to mask his honesty and when he follows up his road
confessions with the melancholic Unknown Legend, you wonder if Mark feels the
strain of the band not making it, knowing that they canÆt keep up the touring
schedule needed to keep the band moving forward.
Really, you could point to any of the seven tracks, settle into the pace and see
the shift the band has made, but the obvious track is the reworking of American
Lo Fi standout Miss Idaho. The slowed down take on Miss Idaho (redux) strips
away the bounce from the original and the harmonies and steel give it a more
subdued, back porch feel. That angst has disappeared and the band is more
content, not just with the song but with life in general. Even as the song
surges to a climax, and the guitars and vocals build you picture the band
smiling and laughing. ItÆs the perfect closer for this record, simply because it
lets you remember that no matter how bad you might think it is, how many bad
decisions you replay in your mind night after night, it will get better, the sun
will come out, your friends will always be there to drink some beers and sing
some songs and life is never as bad as you think it is.