Have you ever been poured a really stiff drink that makes the hairs on your arm stand up and a shiver go down your spine? You get that burn in your throat and breathe a bit of fire. It’s a bit uncomfortable but then after you’re used to it, it becomes warm and pleasant. I guess the same could be said for peeing in your pants. You know the feeling I’m talking about. Deer Tick is like that.

John McCauley is the singer/songwriter behind the Deer Tick moniker. After listening to War Elephant, I immediately drew comparisons to the Avett Brothers and Two Gallants because with each of those bands, the vocals were a bit grating at first. Much like a Jim Beam cocktail, I had to be persistent with Deer Tick before the songs softened up and became palatable.

The album actually won me over after I heard the finger-picking and songwriting on the first track, “Ashamed.” I continued rolling through the album and then hit “Baltimore Blues No 1,” which closed me like Alec Baldwin in Glengarry Glen Ross. Deer Tick and I cemented our relationship and I’ve been a fan ever since.

Deer Tick - Diamond Rings 2007 (courtesy of Who Killed the Mixtape)

Deer Tick - Art Isn’t Real (City of Sin) (courtesy of Biomusicosophy)

Alec Baldwin in Glengarry Glen Ross

I know that it was just last week that I promised my eight loyal readers that I would never again let quality music slip through the cracks. I’m sorry. That promise suffered the same fate as countless other promises I’ve made to my wife. I will clean the garage this weekend. I will not lose more than $500 in Vegas. Allow me to introduce you to The Deep Dark Woods.

Before indie music made its way into my life, I followed the Dead around for years culminating in their final show in Chicago. I came for the music and stayed for the drugs (or maybe it was the other way around). I loved them and they had a tremendous impact on my life and I will consider myself a “Head” till the day I die.

Now it’s 2008 and I’m infatuated with alt-country. My buddy Jefe thinks its because I like to wear cowboy hats. What does have to do with The Deep Dark Woods and the Dead? Well much like me on drugs in a cowboy hat, the four-piece outfit from Saskatoon, Canada are a nice combination of the two genres.

Fittingly the first track is named “Dead and Buried.” At first lead singer’s Ryan T. Boldt voice takes a bit of getting used to. It’s a combo speak-sing with the right amount of drawl to make it all work and it took me a full spin to appreciate it. A few songs later they launch into “Mountain” - the standout track on the album. It has an extremely catchy guitar lick that sticks in your head and it simmers as Boldt and his cohorts push out mellow harmonies.

So here I am, listening to this album on repeat, when I visit them on MySpace and see that they have a new release in ’07 called Hang Me Oh Hang Me out on Canada’s Black Hen Music. And I’ll be damned. It’s actually a step forward from the great album that I just got done describing, including the highlight “River In The Pines,” which reminds me of the Dead’s “Loser.”

So kids, the lessons are bountiful. 1) I should move to Canada because there are a shitload of good bands up there. 2) I did too many drugs in college, which sometimes slows down my ability to pick up on a new things. 3) I look damn good in cowboy hats.

Deep Dark Woods on MySpace

The Deep Dark Woods - Hang Me Oh Hang Me

I have bad news for my loyal readers. All eight of you. I would thank you by name but I think that would be in bad taste. Just the fact that you think of me as the Dick Van Patten in your quest for independent musical knowledge is enough. I’m ashamed to admit, however, that I have just recently stumbled across a tremendous alt-country outfit out of Vancouver named Ox. Their latest release, American Lo Fi came out in 2006 and I feel cheated about finding them at the tail-end of ’07.

The crux of the band is Mark Browing. He blends alt-country and folk to give the album a Ryan Adams/Whiskeytown feel. The first three songs on the album are so good that the rest of the disc could have sucked and I would still consider it money well-spent. “Miss Idaho” is a deliberate, bluesy tune with wonderful harmonizing with Ryan Bishops. Then they launch into a cover of Cheap Trick’s “Surrender” that is ten times as good as the original. Browning’s voice is meant to sing this song (no offense to Robin Zander but Browning’s distressed voice really makes the tune hit home).

The last of the trifecta is “Sugar Cane” which would fit right in on Stranger’s Almanac. The rest of the disc doesn’t suck either. “Country Music Promoter” and “1913,” are delightfully stripped down to showcase Browning’s voice and “Civilization,” which takes a unique look at Bush’s legacy.

So to my loyal readers, I hope I’ve righted this wrong. In the future I will be more on the ball and will not let excellence like this slip through the cracks.

Ox Website

Ox - Miss Idaho

Ox - Surrender

Ox - Sugar Cane

Ox - 747