Ox/Kid Lightning

It’s not intercontinental, but the Vancouver and Sudbury collective known as Ox, and Los Angeles lone bolt Kid Lightning split nationalities and the royalties on this international sampler. Ox’s debut, Dust Bowl Revival, met the approval of college hipsters last year and they’re still bringing it back. Ox shakes the dust off of their Byrds and Flying Burrito Brothers records and churns out four new tracks for your alt-country ears, including a Cheap Trick cover. The songs are decent on the first listen and down right endearing by the fourth — good things do take time. Kid Lightning, a.k.a. Dave Gibbs of the Gigolo Aunts, contributes two tracks from his debut, Her Smallest Breath is Full of Grace, plus two unreleased songs, including a Cars cover. Lightning’s songs conversely lose their allure with every listen and his sentimental pop turns mawkish with age. The enhanced portion of the CD, which includes a poorly lit studio tour, one dull performance, and a surplus of you-had-to-be-there humour, isn’t worth the disc space. All four Ox songs considered, this EP doesn’t justify the hour or so you put in at your shitty job to cover the ten dollars it’ll cost.