Site New Answers Search Boards ILE ILM Answers New Question New Questions New Poll Blog View Register Login

Article Response: Oxes

Message Bookmarked
Bookmark Removed
David Howie reviews the new Oxes album. And you reply...

― Tom, Thursday, 25 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Put your shirt back on, hon.

― Colin Meeder, Thursday, 25 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

you actually talk about the music

― Brad Haywood, Thursday, 25 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

i can't think of a witty response. its a good article, valuable girlfriend opinions etc etc. no, seriously, it's well-considered.

― Katy, Thursday, 25 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I liked the girlfriend bit loads though it is making me sad that so few women write for FT (apropos of nothing in this piece).

― Tom, Thursday, 25 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

But the Oxes record isn't very good. It's so monotonous. And I can't quite figure out how they sound like Shellac. Same guitar tones? Yes. But every Shellac cut has Trainer's patented drop beat, something the Oxes record doesn't have. And how can you say a band without a bass player is similar to a band with Bob Weston playing bass? That's where half of Shellac's melodies come from!

― Yancey, Thursday, 25 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Do not worry Tom I will write you an article about the Moldy Peaches.

― Sarah, Thursday, 25 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I was one of David's copy editors, if you like ;-), so I'm biased, but indeed an enjoyable article. Does remind me that I need to check out the new album.

― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 25 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I don't want to gripe but it loses A LOT (I think) without my italics. Which were in there fer a reason ;).

― davidh(owie), Thursday, 25 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Err, well, actually you might as well not read it since it won't properly make sense and will just look like I've put in silly short paragraphs without the italics-as-inner-dialogue. (?!)

― davidh(owie), Thursday, 25 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Re: Shellac: same broad genre of alt.rock of which Shellac are th' figureheads. Perhaps not a musical likeness but a superficial philosophical (ie their philosophies) one which on further scrutiny proves different. ie "that Oxes represent a goofy individuality within the conformist mediocrity of altrock" where Shellac are in my eyes etc.

― davidh(owie), Thursday, 25 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

(Tom - that was said girlfiend up page [Katy])

― davidh(owie), Thursday, 25 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Then she must write as well! :-)

― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 25 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

No, she must not.

― davidh(owie), Thursday, 25 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I think it's a good piece. Alright maybe it's a little confused near the end, a bit abrupt but the way you write is sublime. Your way with words can be quite a dream ("palm-muted buzzsaw"). It comes across that you don't like Shellac and are perhaps using Oxes as your axe, but you use them well. Points made, and made well.

It bodes well - except the paragraphs where you appear to be talking to yourself could you not have square bracketed, or italicised them? It would have substantially altered, the flow, mood, style, and originality of the piece.

Look forward to more articles.

― al kennedy, Thursday, 25 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

that's all i ask.

― davidh(owie), Thursday, 25 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

How d'you mean?

― al kennedy, Thursday, 25 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

S'just kinda disheartening the lack of responsage and you've made my day. Thank you.

― davidh(owie), Thursday, 25 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

David is nice. The rewiew was nice. It makes me want to listen to them, that's a good thing, in my opinion.

― Danny Farrell, Thursday, 25 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

It's a really good piece, and David makes the band sound interesting (which is saying something from me - I have absolutely no desire to check out Shellac whatsoever) = 2 thumbs up.

― Tim, Thursday, 25 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

But David you know you should have just cut it off after the first paragraph and said it was a Codeine review.

― Tim, Thursday, 25 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

David sorry abt the italics - I have a very old version of Word and it turns out (I did not know this before now) that it can't deal with italics/bolds in newer versions, I just get the text when I open it up (plus a load of gobbledygook which I split off). This happened with yours. The best thing to do is send pieces as text files or in emails and mark up italicised bits somehow.

FWIW I think the piece made a lot of sense and I think 'inner dialogue' almost never works so as an editor I'm happy with it definitely - but it wasn't run as intended and I apologise.

― Tom, Friday, 26 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

david you're getting a lot more response (on ilm at least) than some articles get!

― Josh, Friday, 26 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

ha.. thks tom.

Josh: not really, since Tom has to say something (he always does), one was my g/friend, one my friend, three/four were me, and one was me masquerading as someone else... ha :)

― david, Friday, 26 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

(And sorry fer gettin' on yer case - was on a bad mood all yesterday)

― david h, Friday, 26 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Actually David, Josh is right. Some article response threads never make it to the "New Answers" page, sadly.

― Tim, Friday, 26 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Oh, all right... sorry fer petulance.

― david, Friday, 26 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

You primadonna, David! ;-)

― Ned Raggett, Friday, 26 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

David is right. I should never, ever write.

Also, about the Shellac thing...yes, certain similarities, but the way I see it is that Shellac like to organise their chaos to the letter, whereas Oxes seem to take pride in letting chaos rule their music. I guess they have all those crazy heval metal rules (funny, staggered time and structure) so there is a coherence there, but it doesn't seem as considered as Shellac, and I think that works in Oxes favour.

― Katy, Saturday, 27 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Way to make my whole article obselete.

― David H(owie), Saturday, 27 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

haven't heard this but comparisons to albini/shellac and from some of what you're saying make me think of Don caballero's 'American Don' (a great album) actually. have you heard it david?

― Julio Desouza, Saturday, 27 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

whoops i wrote 'heaval' not 'heavy' didnt i

― Katy, Sunday, 28 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

i just don't see the comparison between oxes and shellac. oxes are mathematical equations as jokey graffiti spraypainted on the cafeteria wall -- emotionless except for their snide, ironic smiles. shellac are jackson pollock paintings reproduced by angry androids.

― Jack Cole, Sunday, 28 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

You say that and you can't SEE? *Bemused*

― david h(0wie), Sunday, 28 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

OK, maybe this will help:

"And like the drifting wind, hitting against no obstacle, we'd never know it's speed, it's power..."

― david h(0wie), Sunday, 28 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Like, David why didn't you just say "There was a man, he was short and fat like a thumb. He was Elton John. He wrote melodies. Oxes are basically NOT Elton John"?

― defeating my last post?, Sunday, 28 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

They’re starkly contrasted with Shellac – they play the same music, differently, from a different philosophy and, unlike Albini, they are punk as fuck. They’re unique, their sound taking its structures and riffs from math.rock and heavy metal.

Punk as fuck? Maybe if punk is just snarky marketing and the music doesnt matter. The play the same music? Not even close. I don't think they even play on the same planet. At least Albini has convictions. Oxes simply have their irony without substance. Unique? Math rock meets metal is a dime a dozen these days, and, I might add, done in a more orignal fashion by bands like Orthrelm or even the Fucking Champs.

― Jack Cole, Sunday, 28 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

sorry but you cznt write oxes off like that

albini, as i said, spells his music out letter by letter. oxes think about theirs too, but differently...they don't over-egg the pudding

there

― Katy, Sunday, 28 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Oh well. You're right.

― david h(0wie), Sunday, 28 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

They play the same music [here comes the key word, watch out] differently.

Ie. Math-rock but from a difft angle. As far as I can see Albini is so anally retentive that he daren't sit down for fear of hoovering up the furniture. And, he's a twat. Or, rather, he writes twatty lyrics. To bring it to the level of music criticism.

Punk - what I mean by punk, when I say it is "truth and dedication to ideals and saying ‘fuck you’ to the backwards attitudes and customs that hold us back, if punk means kid power and energy and music and sense of community". I would sell my soul for it. (Thank you, Colette.) I use the word overly loosely, scared of the baggage it brings and the shouts of shut up you're talking rubbish that it also brings regularly. For a lot of people it means a lot, so - you could maybe get me to retract it.

None more convicted than the Oxes boys. It's just perhaps that normally we think of convictions as 'serious' things ie crunchy, scabrous production. Whereas Oxes possibly don't. They try and be serious by not being serious in a genre characterised by its seriousness.

"Sarcasm does not equal irony."

Unique - ie, I have never heard anything like it. My world is the only world exists and the parameters with which I choose to describe the world around and in my world are all gleaned from in and around my world. They are unique to me.

That might not be satisfactory. I have already conceded that the aural comparisons are scant, but there - and that the difference lies in the philosophies of the two bands - of which the Oxes I find much more appealing. And, also I am a whore using the Oxes as a big Claymore to whomp Albini's head off. Albeitly unsuccessfully it would seem.

― david h(0wie), Sunday, 28 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I mean I have no problem discussing music but don't ask "Is this band good or not?" because that just shows you don't have any personality or knowledge of music.

― Simpson., Sunday, 28 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

first, I should say i did think your review was well done -- its major weakness being what you said yourself, "And, also I am a whore using the Oxes as a big Claymore to whomp Albini's head off. Albeitly unsuccessfully it would seem." I wouldnt say it was unsuccessful in the sense of your presentation of your argument -- I just don't buy into the basic anti-albini assumption underlying everything. for me the oxes are just about commentng on the music scene via visual and musical sarcasm and irony, and that really doesnt interest me.

― Jack Cole, Sunday, 28 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

why not ask if a band is good or not? you do in your review. its our value judgements that make each of us unique and expresses our personalities and tastes.

― Jack Cole, Sunday, 28 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

(Sorry - that's my favourite joke - I can understand how you could misconstrue it. It was meant to lighten the tone.)

― david h(0wie), Sunday, 28 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

sorry -- me dumb today -- i'm twitching from too much coffee as my brain melts from QuickBooks and doing my record label shit.

― Jack Cole, Sunday, 28 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

colette!! i haven't written to colette in TOTALLY AGES!!

― mark s, Sunday, 28 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

three months pass...
Frank Kogan on the Oxes - much better than mine, goddamit!

― david h (david h), Friday, 8 November 2002 11:36 (twenty-three years ago)

did you TOTALLY WRITE to colette mark?

― david h (david h), Friday, 8 November 2002 11:38 (twenty-three years ago)

i wish i knew how to count time signatures apart from 4/4.

― Julio Desouza (jdesouza), Friday, 8 November 2002 11:54 (twenty-three years ago)


You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.
Site New Answers Search Boards ILE ILM Answers New Question New Questions New Poll Blog View Register Login