Oxford Collapse - A Good Ground

The 2005 release, A Good Ground, is Oxford Collapse expanding its skies, deepening its tracks, and discovering their peers.
The music has taken on elements of what could only be called Americana -- though it's the hazier Americana heard on a circa-’85 Meat Puppets or R.E.M. record as opposed to the term's more recent connotations. A Good Ground finds Pace delivering his vocals with a newfound strength, while the addition of Rizer enriches the vocal department even further. Their words interweave on "The Boys Come Home" and “Proofreading", while the vocal effects used sporadically on earlier releases are used more judiciously here. Take particular note of the hyperkinetic “Flaws”, which feels like a summation of the band's previous work up to this point. A loose travelogue emerges throughout, from the sacred invocation of transit on “Prop Cars” to the band's time in Florida described in "Flora y Fauna" to the shared faded daylight of “Dusty Horses Practice”. Much of the album’s spent in a cascading territory, drumbeats as propulsion; the ideal soundtrack for a long drive with the windows down and the sun in your eyes. In 2006, Oxford Collapse had their third full length  Remember the Night Parties released on Sub Pop records.

Be the first to review this record. Best reviewer each month gets £10 off their next order!