4 out of 5

Label: Yab Yum

Produced by: Various

We know I don’t like Oxbow much at this point, yeah? Definitely in the realm of more indulgent art rock than I prefer. And their track here, an alternate take of Daughter Bent & Floating, has some of that in play, minusing out the original’s punk rock bent for something more stripped down and vocal based. Which, honestly, is pretty cool – I’m generally turned off by Eugene S. Robinson’s vocal theatrics, and this is moreso rambling with music than singing. But: while the album version (from King of the Jews) holds up throughout because it can fall back on guitars to carry the rhythm, this track becomes a bit too stretched thin without that, and feels like it runs out of steam a little before actually ending.

On the other side is Kill Kill Kill’s From Beyond the Agave. I’m not familiar with this band, but it’s a good pairing: primarily instrumental, and more of a drum circle vibe with layered instrumentation / chatter, it conceptually matches Oxbow’s ramblings, but tonally it’s more low-end; more focused, and thus maintains attention throughout – up through a locked groove bit of static at the end, unless that’s a mistake on my copy, but it feels like a fitting anti-conclusion.

Both tracks are dense, interesting soundscapes with unsettling aural undertones, though Oxbow’s sound a bit more frantic, and Kill Kill Kill a bit more psychedelic.