Oxford Coma, The: Paris is Mine

I can't tell you how badly I want to use the Oxford comma multiple times in this review. The rhythms is provides are elegant and the clarity of usage is necessary. I'm sure I'll find a way to be so self-indulgent, but I don't want to overdo it. The name of the band only comes close to the Oxford comma; instead, we have the Oxford Coma, no doubt a rhythmic and precise state of unconsciousness. It's also punny in ways that will strike some as silly. Even so, this band's quirky, humorous, and creative brand of post-metal does a good job of settling into musical grooves that sound terrific. The Oxford Coma is highly innovative and exploratory, bringing improvisation not only into the music but also into the recording. To listen to this album, particularly the last two tracks, is to glimpse a band turning away from the endless manipulations of studio equipment and trying to do things as live and as spontaneously as possible. "Ados Watts Jam" is especially playful in this regard and it even makes for good listening. The closing track, a cover of Led Zeppelin's "When the Levee Breaks" also sounds fresh, largely because the band shifts away from Zeppelin's bigness and power but also by playing it straight, without all the phallic bobbing and weaving Robert Plant brought to everything back in those days. Nothing will ever replace the drumming intensity (and that sound!) of John Bonham's original recording, but that doesn't matter here. The Oxford Coma has done enough to give us a fresh take on "Levee." I was also fond of the first track, "Canadian Question Mark." It's quirky and angular and fun.

Originally a trio, the Oxford Coma never seems to have a set number of musicians playing with them. This album includes two drummers, something the band has been experimenting with in concert. This is a fascinating release, if only because this is a band that gives us all hope that today's experimentation may lead to new musical ideas and fresh takes on the classics.

Track Listing:
1. Canadian Question Mark
2. Ritaling
3. Daisies
4. The Pulls
5. Ados Watts Jam
6. When the Levee Breaks

Added: November 7th 2015
Reviewer: Carl Sederholm
Score:
Related Link: Band Website
Hits: 1734
Language: english

[ Printer Friendly Page ]
[ Send to a Friend ]