Search - Oxbow :: Love That's Last: A Wholly Hypnographic & Disturb

Oxbow fans NEED this

Aquarius Records | San Francisco | 04/01/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Rock and roll as a raw nerve art form, that's the intense Oxbow aethetic... a band that dares you to listen, much less attend one of their shows. Avant garde yet drawn to swampy roots, Oxbow's approach is both intellectual and primal at the same time, these men channeling psychic and physical distress into their music, so much tension and release it's disturbing to behold... This brilliant and unique Bay Area outfit has been going strong against all odds for almost two decades now (!) and with each passing year seem to gain a wider audience, despite never ever being a part of any scene or trend. Not one that would help them, anyway. Except maybe now, that they've seemingly been accepted into the Neurosis/Isis axis of arty post-metal noisecore, releasing their last full-length An Evil Heat 4 or 5 years ago on the Neurot label and now (finally!) reappearing on Hydra Head with this cd+dvd package.



Love That's Last isn't exactly the new Oxbow opus we've being waiting for, since it's not an all-new album but rather a collection, complete with commentary and lyrics in the booklet, of unreleased live cuts, improv tracks, compilation rarities, and a few "greatest hits" from their hard to find early albums. You'll certainly get a representative serving of their cathartic ugly/pretty rock action here, with all of Oxbow's characteristic Bonham beats, slide guitar skronk, droning ambience, and of course the distinctive mewling/screaming baby monster vocalizations of scary front man/fighting man Eugene Robinson.



Highlights (and that's what all this is, really) range from their infamous "Insylum" duet with Marianne Faithful from 1996's Serenade In Red to the 1998 live recording "Glimmer Bird" to the prototypical expression of Oxbow anguish that is "Yoke" from their 1989 F-ckfest debut. Ten tracks in all... you too might be crying like a baby when it's over. Oxbow would be happy about that.



The DVD portion includes 5.1 mixes of a handful of Oxbow classics, plus filmmaker Christian Anthony's Oxbow documentary Music For Adults with outtakes too, AND a bunch of additional live footage of the band in Belgium and San Francisco. Here's what I said about Music For Adults before:



"Now you can vicariously join Oxbow for their summer 2002 European tour. Even better than actually being there, you can enjoy their shows and tour hijinx without running any risk of Oxbow singer Eugene getting you in a headlock (and pulling down your pants, as happens to at least one unhappy Scotsman in this film). The live footage captures the Oxbow rock machine in all their twisted, bawling glory, while the 'behind-the-scenes' stuff will show you that they're actually all really nice guys!"



So, Oxbow fans NEED this. And it's obviously the first thing the prospective Oxbow fan needs to pick up as well. Hopefully that's just what's gonna happen. Recommended as always with all Oxbow product!"

What Will Happen After He's Done With You?

L. Myers | Decatur, GA United States | 03/12/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The sounds bludgeon (sp?) one second stretched out too long for its own good then provide you with the comfort that only he who has taken something vital away can. Do you feel better? Will you ever? That's not any of their concern. This is music created without awareness of financial gain. Will you purchase? Why? What are you missing? Nothing. You were born a void. A voidhead. Godflesh tapped into it in a manner similar to tibetan chant, mantras repeated into reality. Mind over matter. A form of personal success. Oxbow know nothing of success. Only breathing. Movement from day to day. Keep living because you keep living. There is no power or accomplishment, only continuous motion. When you have Oxbow in your hands, you know if you can have it in your life. They're not talented musicians. They sail the waves like the men of Neurosis minus the functionality, the wisdom, the ability to make a life your children will be proud of. Something to look back on in your final moments and smile. They will drown their last breaths with Jack Daniels. Poetic til the very end. Like Lenny Bruce, Robert Crumb, Marlon Brando, Bukowski. No ear to lop off to silence the mild buzzing underneath those words never uttered but resonating like afterbirth."