By Robin Ianson
When reviewing an album, I tend to just pop it into the player and listen through it a couple of times. I let the music reveal itself as a whole before noticing songs that seem to demand my attention. tUCo, Canadian band Ox’s fifth studio album, changed that process for me.
The moment I heard the second track, “Indie Rock Radio Nation,” I knew this album would be something special. It tells a story not only with lyrics, but through the relaxed tone that flows out of frontman Mark Browning’s slightly strained vocals and laid-back guitar stylings.
That same style reigns supreme throughout the record, showcased in tracks like “Rock and Roller” and “Trans Canada,” it is also especially prevalent on
“What I Love About Cars,” a seriously great track proving all that you need in a rock song is a catchy guitar riff, a couple of good solos and a line that gets stuck in your head the moment you hear it.
Ox is raw. Ox is simple. Ox had me re-playing songs just so I could enjoy them again and again. Ox is college rock, garage rock and some sort of groove rock all rolled into one- and this album is one hell of a showcase of what Ox is.