MOG

...all the boys go home alone.

These lyrics from "The Boys Go Home" by Oxford Collapse is an apt description of this night's proceedings at Little Brothers. About 35 people braved the cold to come out to see Oxford Collapse play a short but energetic set, and then the audience, mostly male, did indeed go home alone.

I think I like Oxford Collapse so much because they remind me of the post-punk bands I cut my teeth on in the early to mid '80s. Their angular, Mission of Burma / Gang of Four elbows poke way out on their earlier Kanine records releases, Some Wilderness and A Good Ground. I even hear a bit of Husker Du's Bob Mould in guitarist/vocalist Michael Pace's phrasing. Whether these guys grew up listening to these bands or if it seeped into their consciousness some other way, I don't know. What I do know is they come into their own stylistically on their latest Sub Pop debut entitled Remember the Night Parties.

Two of my favorite Night Parties tracks came early in the set: "Lady Lawyers" ( which I'll upload tomorrow....Stay tuned) and "Loser City", and they cranked through a tight version of "In Your Volcano" for their final tune. They left us wanting more, which is a good thing. And they deserve a better turn-out and some warmer temperatures on their next trip through Columbus.

Set list: 1. Molasses 2. Lady Lawyers 3. Loser City 4. Arc (a new song, I think) 5. Forgot To Write 6. Please Visit Your National Parks 7. Cumberland Gap 8. The Boys Go Home 9. In Your Volcano

Pictures:

Thanks to Kay at Kanine Records for permission to upload "The Boys". You can purchase the track by doing any one of the following:

Download "The Boys Go Home" (mp3)
from "A Good Ground"
by Oxford Collapse
Kanine Records

• Buy at iTunes Music Store
• Buy at eMusic
• Buy at RealNetworks / Rhapsody
• Buy at Napster
• Buy at GroupieTunes
• Buy at Insound

Finally, Detroit's Thunderbirds Are Now warmed up for Oxford Collapse. I'm not mad about their latest record, which is a bit to slick for me, but I think they sounded much better live. Here's a pic:

I came late and missed the Houseguests from Akron, Ohio. Is that something I will regret for the rest of my days? Anyone familiar with 'em?