Ox
American Lo Fi
weework
Fans of Vancouver alt-country band Ox will be pleasantly surprised by this sophomore effort. The typical-country acoustic guitar and quaint vocals are replaced with minimalist, reverb-rich distorted electric guitar and gritty vocals. “Sugar Cane” is heartbreakingly melancholic thanks to this change—reminiscent of “Wavering” from Dust Bowl Revival. Inspired by life on the road, American Lo-Fi is a dark view of the US: malls, centrefolds, jet planes, gas stations and bus stops. In “747,” Mark Browning opens the song drawling “Born in the USA”—an ironic take on a vacant American culture indicative of the album.
Mike Landry
This article appears in Dec 6-12, 2007.
