Oxford Collapse, Soulfly, Oneida
The Weekly Jive
By: John Schacht , Paul Rogers
Oxford Collapse—BITS (Sub Pop)
Two years ago Oxford Collapse’s Remember the Night Parties snuck onto a few Best Of year-end lists, mine included; mid-way through their latest, I had to replay Remember to make sure I hadn’t been bamboozled (thankfully, I hadn’t). But the balance between Remember’s accessible hooks and indie rock adventurism made for a disc where youthful snark was leavened by something approaching sonic grace; here, that’s missing. Whether the hooks fall flat because they’re overwhelmed by hipster poses, or the latter dominate because the former are absent doesn’t matter; even at its best, BITS feels forced, and a long, long way from the Minutemen vibe the band was allegedly after here. Even curveballs like the cello-driven “Wedding” ring hollow. There are a couple of decent moments, like “Featherbeds” and “B-Roll,” both neat blends of Pavement-meets-Superchunk indie rock, and “For the Winter Coats,” which would nestle comfortably on the last record. Maybe the band thought veteran John Agnello’s production on Remember was too polished, but in washing off any sheen—and BITS sounds considerably rougher—Oxford Collapse has also tossed out the hook-baby. Sadly, the list this is heading for is this year’s Most Disappointing. (John Schacht)
Soulfly—Conquer (Roadrunner)
For much of their decade-long existence Soulfly have relied on the ever-thinning credibility fumes from vocalist/guitarist Max Cavalera’s lauded former band Sepultura to keep themselves in the public eye. With a revolving cast of hired-gun sidemen, Cavalera has found himself playing to shrinking crowds (often in increasingly obscure overseas markets) and with every passing album has felt more of the critics’ lash. Ironically, just as a reunion of the “true” Sepultura (who’ve also had mixed fortunes of late) seems viable, Soulfly have conjured-up a decent disc: Conquer convincingly marries Megadeth-style precision riffing; heart-stopping, sometimes exotic solos; punishing blast-beats; Cavalera’s decidedly hardcore, guttural growl; and the band’s signature touches of ethnic percussion and world music adventure. Conquer sounds more angrily authentic than anything Soulfly have done this decade so, with Cavalera Conspiracy (Max’s project with brother and former Sepultura bandmate Igor) also getting rave reviews and hinting at a full Sepultura reunion, Max Cavalera could be a very busy boy for the next few years. (Paul Rogers)
Oneida—Preteen Weaponry (Jagjaguwar)
On Preteen Weaponry, Oneida seem as much a construction firm as a band; they don’t write music so much as will it into being through diligent, sweaty persistence, built mostly on the interplay between musicians. With heavy, insistent drones like Krautrockers Can on steroids, you can picture the trio in some hellish foundry, Kid Millions anvil-pounding out hypnotic beats, sparks showering from Baby Hanoi Jane’s fuzzed-out guitars, Fat Bobby’s keys and synths coating everything in a shimmering heat-mirage. This first installment of the band’s Thank Your Parents trilogy features three long tracks, each building in intensity, none quite reaching the catharsis of crescendo; with bare-minimum melodies and only one brief section of lyrics, Oneida is much more about process than instant gratification. Even the three tracks are really just a CD player courtesy—this is meant to be heard front-to-back, each cut decomposing organically into the next. The dynamism here isn’t as obvious as previous releases, but when, three minutes in, Oneida kick their groove into high gear and throw you out front like a surfer dropping in on a massive force of nature, you’ll be tickled to be along for the ride. (John Schacht)
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