Oxford Collapse - Bits

Sub Pop

Some band names just seem more appropriate than others. In the case of this New York trio, while the ‘Oxford’ may or may not have any significance, the ‘Collapse’ part is apposite – the songs on this, their fourth album, have an unpolished, slightly chaotic air, perpetually threatening to fall in on themselves, recalling at times the ramshackle charm of prime Pavement. This, it should be noted, is A Good Thing. The likes of ‘Young Love Delivers’ and ‘Electric Arc’ are exemplary slices of twitchy, jangly indie rock. Short (the longest song runs to four minutes), punchy and catchy as hell, these mini-anthems are also distinguished by some endearingly goofy lyrics (“My love came back from Sweden / Brought me some bathroom readin’”) which, in the wrong hands, could grate, but which the ‘Collapse pull off by dint of their sheer irrepressible charm. Impossible to dislike. Neill Dougan

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DOWNLOAD: ‘YOUNG LOVE DELIVERS’, ‘ELECTRIC ARC’, ‘I HATE NOBODY’.
FOR FANS OF: PAVEMENT, WE ARE SCIENTISTS.

Issue #52 - Very Bro-some

Featuring Panama Kings, ASIWYFA, an investigation into DIY touring, details of what over 25 of the finest NI bands are up to in 2009 and much more.