TLOBF Loves… Ox

I was introduced to Ox in the same way I am introduced to most new music – via a cyber-friend who shares my taste in music (well, our last.fm taste-o-meter is ‘high’, anyway). Ox are from Canada, though they play music that could easily be called Americana, or indie-folk, or just flat-out ‘kick you in the head’ awesome. The band consists of four core members with a flurry of musical friends helping out here and there. Ultimately, though, Ox is the brainchild of Mark Browning, who handles co-producing, songwriting, singing, and playing about half a dozen instruments.

Ox’s most recent release is last year’s American Lo Fi; it was my first taste of the band and grabbed me so thoroughly that it very nearly made my end of year Top Ten Albums list, even though I didn’t hear it until sometime in November. The title itself does a terrific job of summing up the album’s personality – it’s an 11-song lo-fi look into being on the road, country music promotion, a president who eschews civilization for war, all the while referencing a handful of American cities: LA, Sacramento, Des Moines, and Hollywood. They even included a Woody Guthrie cover.

It’s difficult not to sit up and take notice of the opening chords of “Miss Idaho”, which are followed closely by Browning’s twangy proclamation: “I been on main street, I been on every street, I been high and I been low more“. Album opener and standout track “Miss Idaho” is the embodiment of everything Ox did right; it’s sparse without feeling empty and Browning’s vocals are laden with exhausted emotion. You should download the MP3 and then promptly head over to Weewerk to buy the album.

mp3:> Ox: “Miss Idaho”
[From American Lo Fi; Out now Weework]