Ox - Dust Bowl Revival

Ox is a collective of musicians hailing from Vancouver. Led by Mark Browning, the band orchestrates an affinity for an array of influences, citing the Velvet Underground and the Flying Burrito Brothers alongside the Byrds and Frank Zappa. Dust Bowl Revival tells us otherwise, as its 14 tracks can be described as alternative folk music devoted to the band's early country fetishes and a slight hint of psychedelia. Yes, the title is undoubtedly a Woody Guthrie reference. While the band doesn't reflect Woody's proletarianism, the same spirit of happiness on the road without a care in the world is intact. In fact, "Deportees" is the last track on the album, and while I can't be certain that Woody ever recorded this--he wrote the lyrics, and I've heard Arlo do it--Ox actually doesn't do such a good job. Along with Pink Floyd's "Fat Old Sun" and Julian Cope's "Promised Land," the originals on Dust Bowl Revival tend to be the more outstanding of the bunch. Dreamy and quaint, Dust Bowl Revival triumphs in defying any era of music, pulling off an album full of refreshing yet nostalgic back-to-the-roots indie rock. [www.oxmusic.ws]