Oxford Collapse Some Wilderness CD

Oxford Collapse offer up a refreshing release with Some Wilderness, their first full-length record out on Kanine Records. This Brooklyn, NY, trio rock an exciting twist to the millennial interest in late-'70s/early-'80s new wave/post-punk. Some Wilderness has a stuttering, math-y groove throughout, mixing up time signatures and rhythms in the middle of tracks like "Land!" and "General Hospital" -- keeping you awake while throwing you off kilter, much like Pitchblende, Liars, or Wicked Farleys. Bass and drums, provided by Dan Fetherston and Yong Sing da Silva, play off each other wonderfully, giving each other room to breathe their own licks, while supporting each other to lock back into the groove they set up. The angular guitars of Michael Pace punctuate that fact, adding counter rhythm and melody. Sprinklings of organ every once in a while throughout Some Wilderness give the record an added rich texture. While Some Wilderness is angular and rhythmic, the pop seems to surface in small, subtle ways; a danceable and melodic feel that gives the record a bright lift. This pop touch seems to be the '90s indie guitar swing element that works well in the mix of Oxford Collapse's other styles they dig, keeping Some Wilderness fresh and very listenable. Of course, Oxford Collapse tip their hats to the influences of Gang of Four, Wire, Joy Division, and Sonic Youth, but the fact is that they make the music their own. Some Wilderness is an exciting release that works on many levels, leaving the listener eager for future releases from Oxford Collapse. ~ David Serra

Oxford Collapse could have happened anywhere and anytime between 1980 and today, but it's in New York City, it's right now, and it's leaving a dry, predictable status quo in emerging hipster music hanging in peril.Buzzing and restless, overjoyed and confrontational, Oxford Collapse's music telegraphs a passion for the last two decades of American indie rock exuberance. More importantly, they look to that music's forefathers - bands like the Embarrassment, R.E.M., Mission of Burma, the dBs, Pylon, and the Feelies - who charged forward, innovatively liberating what they needed from their well-versed musical pasts and building them into a shaken, florid, ever-focusing present, only to be appreciated in the future. Moveover, these bands performed with a marked sense of innocence, amazement, a feeling of wonder that's all but gone in the deluge of post-punk revivalism, which only seems to recall the oily glitter of Blondie or the sharp edges of Gang of 4 and Public Image Ltd. Oxford Collapse chooses not to crowd these lands, particulary since there's so much open ground to cover elsewhere. Blue skies, wide expanses, the drive to discover Some Wilderness within and without the maps of musical hierarchy.There's Michael Pace, guitarist and vocalist, who pulled the neck of his long-suffering Sekova Les Paul copy right off during the recording of Some Wilderness. Dan Fetherston, tasked with learning how to play drums specifically for this band, and filling the spaces capably with the disco ride. Yong Sing da Silva, who graced the stage at Pianos in a too-tight Polo shirt, Tuffskins and flip-flops, on bass (he's moved on to medical school; the equally fashion-conscious Mike Henry now fills those shower shoes). They started on a semester abroad in London, creating dissonant screamo maximalism for complete cathartic release. They found their ways, sculpting the dissonance around the sounds of their Poindexterian brethren, opening chords and tunings, building dynamics against one another, and toning down the distortion on the relentless speed they play at. Pace's guitar style closely mimics the anti-aircraft shred of Roger Miller, crashed right into the nimble lyricism of early Peter Buck. The rhythm section responds in kind, with dizzying bass scales all over the register and drumming that nearly topples over on itself while filling every last breath of space. Oxford Collapse p