Some Wilderness

Oxford Collapse

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 21, 2006)
• Original Release Date: April 13, 2004
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Kanine Records
• ASIN: B0001MDP5Y
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #266,198 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Fitler Magazine

"a less abrasive Les Savy Fav meets a less heady Mission of Burma... Awesome!"

Product Description

"It's almost too tempting to play on Oxford Collapse's name -- the Brooklyn trio's debut album,..., possesses more than one glorious, twitchy moment where breakdowns will, most assuredly, break out on the dancefloor. But the band's skill, and what makes Some Wilderness one of 2004's standout releases (it comes out April 14), lies in their know-how when it comes to pasting all those pieces back together again." City Paper (Philadelphia)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Post-punk promise premiered by precocious progeny , July 6, 2005

By	John L Murphy "Fionnchú" (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Mission of Burma inspires here its devoted aural offspring, who introduce a similarly danceable if a bit more groovy beat, while the yammering vocals and guitar staccato recall Oxford Collapse's interest in mixing the current NYC post-punk revival into its earlier Boston influences, going back to the late 70s East Coast new-wave/no-wave experimentalists. For those of us who were around then, this album may not seem that innovative, but for those of you who weren't, or want to recall it all again, then "Some Wilderness" satisfies.

I can hear what appears to be tape manipulation, or its imitation, and the sonic expansion of this buzzing, restless, impatiently jittery sound, after 25 years of its debut, takes advantage of the martial rhythms, vaguely robotic/reggaeish riffs, hardcore-ish commands, call-and-response anthems, and headlong freneticism that all deserve continutity. The album is well-sequenced, and like MoB, the band knows how to break up the relentless assault in favor of more wistful tunes (by comparison--even these aren't exactly midtempo adult alternative fodder), now and then. Great song titles, even if it's a bit hard to discern their content. Vocals are serviceable if not distinctive, and they fit into the atmosphere. Tunes do not overstay their welcome, and the band punches its power into the three-minute type of rallying song. This approach shows they have studied their forebears; I think they might better stretch out into longer attempts at perpetuating their assault into more extended pieces, as they have the intelligence to create these.

On future releases, they should evolve into an even more individual band. I look forward to their July 2005 second album, "A Good Ground" which I bought unheard based on the strength of this debut.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dance music played by punk rockers, July 23, 2004

By	R. Picciotto - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Oxford Collapse plays the sounds of the suburbs, the blue print of early summer, hopped up on candy scarfed down at bar mitzvah blowouts, at the batting cages, sneaking around all day at the multiplex, then turfing the neighbor's lawn on a riding mower for good measure. They flip over big flat rocks and gaze fascinated at the insects living a private life beneath. They know that the devils and the details don't need one another to get by, and demonstrate that with some of the wildest manic pop abandon heard in years.

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars LUNATIC INDIE ROCK DANCE HALL, May 22, 2004

By A Customer

Brooklyn-based dance punk you can DANCE to. Catchy, bouncy, will make you shake your hips and smile. Less abrasive Les Savy Fav meets a less heady Mission of Burma. DANCE, DANCE, DANCE