Album Details

• Artist: The Oxford Coma
• EP:
Infrastatic
• Label: Independant
• Year of Release: 2011
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: solitaryman on 2011-10-28

Hailing from Phoenix, AZ, the relatively new and, from what I can hear of this 3-track sampler, very much up-and-coming The Oxford Coma have the tools, experience and chemistry to turn some heads. Each of the three songs has plenty to offer, and the sound is an interesting history lesson of the last 10 or 15 years of alternative rock and metal, containing within aspects of bands such as A Perfect Circle, Breaking Benjamin, RHCP and a variety of others. All the comparisons in the world, however, are pretty much moot; the coolest thing about The Oxford Coma isn't so much that they sound like many of my favorite acts, it's that they do it while sounding fresh and like they truly have something to offer beyond tributation and idolization.

"Last To Die" rips to life with a rather catchy riff, and when the bass kicks in is where I am immediately drawn in. You can tell right off the bat that James Williams has a real knack for the instrument, as he fills the space that some typical trios would leave empty with more than just your standard lines. This track should provide a strong vehicle for The Oxford Coma's promotional campaign, as it is immensely catchy and well written, and therefore has "single" written all over it.

"Peregrine" is more fleshed out and elaborate, with catchy interplay between the bassist and frontman Billy Tegethoff. The latter's vocals are perfectly fitting the style of music, even if he isn't apt to think so (check the bio). His skills as a guitarist are in clear evidence here as well, and the overall songwriting is brilliant, flowing from a more atmospheric and emotive intro into brilliant progressive passages that range from more metal than rock to more catchy than blunt. Billy's screams are punctuated by drummer Casey Dillon's spacey, psychadelic grooves and tight fills. 

 "Seven"is, front to back, the best track of the three in my opinion. The songwriting here is off-the-charts if you ask me, and the chorus has been stuck in my head since listen #1. Billy's ability to enact a duality of sung/screamed vocals, and to do both with both skill and emotive impact, is an aspect of The Oxford Coma's sound that I can say confidently, after only three songs, that I'm glad they went with instead of finding another vocalist as was originally contemplated. The space these three are able to fill as a trio is, dare I say it, quite on par with the likes of Rush. Maybe not so technically demanding, but certainly as engaging to listen to. 

And perhaps, ultimately, my quick impressions of the band may be so high because of the fact that they are a trio. It's beyond impressive that, while sounding as if nothing is missing from the mix, the band is also able to write excellent songs such as these. With inspiration from the past and the type of chemistry and honesty for writing from the heart, The Oxford Coma have a recipe for very big things.

NOTE: While I am unsure of exactly how you may get ahold of these tracks, you can certainly get ahold of the band via the contact page of their website (which is linked to the right on this page, below the band picture) and ask 'em. Of course, if you live in the Phoenix area, you would do yourself a favor if you just went and checked them out. Stay tuned here for their upcoming 2012 (as yet untitled) release, as we'll be sure to have coverage of that and more. 

User Reviews and Comments

on 2011-11-04 SolitaryMan Said:

Hell yeah! I'm glad people are catching on to this band. When their LP is dropped next year, expect a review from yours truly, an interview and plenty more added coverage. Also, when I reviewed this I wasn't aware of it being an EP or having a name, so I'll edit the page accordingly. Keep getting the word out folks, and if you're reading this, check these guys out!
Rating: 9/10

on 2011-11-04 hstisgod Said:

Third person in a week to gel with this... Hidden treasures are so bad ass.
Rating: 8/10

Review:

on 2011-11-04 mark_morton Said:

Standard procedure for common music reviewing, especially for the work of a new artist is for the journalist to behave like a librarian with OCD  that is, to scrape away all nuanced, original (or unique) appendages and compile each artist into its basest genre. This way, they feel it is easier for the reader to find what he/she may enjoy based solely on stylistic similarities to other artists.

But then there are artists that force these journalists to think outside of their comfort zones, which usually results in mimicking those lovely Rolling Stone Magazine critics who thrive on inventing their own polysyllabic genres, like post-punk-progressive-emo-pop-core, and things just as ridiculous to mask the writers own lack of creativity or unwillingness to explore poetic license.

However, there are bands so creative and musically honest, like Phoenix-bred The Oxford Coma, where it is simply better to allow the music to speak for itself. I could ramble for the next page and a half describing all of the subtleties and frenetic emotional shifts the band traverses during the mere three songs on its latest EP INFRASTATIC, but any effort to use adjective-laden words will simply fall short of the wicked joy extracted from a full-attention listening experience.

The bands Facebook page describes The Oxford Coma as progressive psychedelic grunge rock. But a simple four-word descriptive will only get you to the door, because that particular classification reeks of throwback and dwelling in the past. While there are elements of early Tool, Gruntruck, Soundgarden, and Tad, The Oxford Coma also wields the metallic quirk of Voivod and the frenzied irreverence towards basic formula, a la Thought Industry.
And yet, the band adheres to a strict adoration for melody, which conjures aural memories of Kings X and Faith No More.

Sadly, INFRASTATIC is only 15-minutes long (like I said, it is only 3 songs), but it is a quarter-hour musical orgasm one wont soon forget!

Rating: 9/10

on 2011-10-31 hstisgod Said:

all songs i heard have a great potential, last to die was pretty damn good...will be looking out for their next.
Rating: 8/10

on 2011-10-31 SolitaryMan Said:

UPDATE: I hadn't been able to find these earlier, but here are links to both the band's facebook and soundcloud pages, where you can hear this outstanding songs and follow the band.

http://www.facebook.com/theoxfordcoma
http://www.soundcloud.com/the-oxford-coma
Rating: 9/10