Review: Mason Proper - Olly Oxen Free (* * * *)

Mason Proper is another band that escaped my attention earlier this year. Their sophomore effort, Olly Oxen Free, was released in September and, once again, I'm glad I finally found out about it. The album is a brief, but exciting, blast of experimental indie pop that is at once funky, noisy, and bizarre, but always melodic.

The music on Olly Oxen Free is built on a solid bass and drum (the instruments, not the genre) foundation while traditional piano, keys, and guitars riffs are generally avoided. Instead, you hear explosions of spiky guitar lines and blasts of synth that often compete for attention with singer Jonathan Visger's oddball lyrics and high tenor vocals. It's a combination that makes for a fun and unique take on the classic indie rock sound. At the album's best moments, the three-song combo of "Lock And Key," "Only A Moment," and "Out Dragging The River," the music is riveting, the kind of stuff you have to play a few times through before you've had your fill. It's the sound of a confident young band with a fresh perspective and plenty of talent to back it up.

Though the record's ten tracks provide more than enough melodic and lyrical hooks, the first five contain most of the best moments. The spastic "Shiny" and the more deliberate closer "Safe For The Time Being" are both strong tunes found on the back side, but the slow, spacey "In The Mirror" is the album's one true weak spot, a poor start to the second half that depletes the momentum. Despite the diversion, though, Olly Oxen Free is a great collection of songs that certainly warrants your attention. It's varied and occasionally quite strange, but focused enough to be worth hearing in its entirety.

Mason Proper have focused their sound while exploring fascinating new territory, putting themselves in a decidedly upward trajectory. Visger, as both a singer and a songwriter, remains the group's most compelling weapon, and as he continues to push boundaries his band sound more than capable of keeping up.

For an MP3 and video download, check out this post.

MP3 Monday: Mason Proper, ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead, Frightened Rabbit

Three more tunes (and a video) for y'all to enjoy with MP3 Monday back on track.

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Mason Proper

Mason Proper have been creating some serious buzz this year with the release of their most recent album Olly Oxen Free, a great record with a classic indie rock sound. The song "Fog" is a quirky, yet melodic tune and is a good example of Mason Proper's signature style. Also, check out the video for "Lock and Key" available here for download. Both songs are definitely worth a listen.

Fog (MP3)

Lock and Key (Video)
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...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead

Our friends over at RCRD LBL have provided a new track from ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead, a well-established progressive rock group from Austin, Texas. The song, "Bells Of Creation" has an epic, orchestral sound combined with the band's hard-edged guitar attack. They recently released an EP entitled Festival Thyme and are set to release a full-length in February of 2009. Give it a listen and remember to say "thank you" to RCRD LBL for providing us all with such fine music.

Bells Of Creation (MP3 download page)


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Frightened Rabbit

Frightened Rabbit are sure to sit atop some "best of" lists soon with their sophomore release Midnight Organ Fight, a collection of heartbreaking tunes about love, loss, etc. that has turned quite a few heads (including my own). This track, "Last Tango in Brooklyn" comes from a compilation done by an Australian magazine called The Lifted Brow. The song is intimate and emotional like much of the band's work and serves as a great introduction to the band if you haven't heard them already. The track is available courtesy of Pitchfork, so head on over there to download it.

Pitchfork download page for "Last Tango in Brooklyn"