Campus bands slated for 'sco

Tel Aviv, Songs: Ohia and Nozzle bring notable pop

This Saturday, the 'Sco will host an evening of delight and enchantment with three notable Oberlin bands. Ranging from the acoustic sounds of Songs: Ohia to the subtle pop of Tel Aviv, this concert will be sure to please even the most dilettantish music connoisseur.

Tel Aviv first wowed the rock world in the summer of '95 with their debut single on Arlington, Virginia's TeenBeat Records. It included the song "I Like Your Style," which TeenBeat head honcho Mark Robinson compared to Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit." They soon followed this up with their acclaimed debut self-titled album, which showcased Tel Aviv's shimmering, minimal pop tunes. One reviewer likened Tel Aviv to Britain's legendary purveyors of guitar bliss, the Durutti Column.

At the time, Tel Aviv consisted of College junior Andy Comer (guitar and vocals) and Louisville, Kentucky native Jay Krauss (drums and guitar). The album was recorded before Comer came to Oberlin; after it was released, Comer enlisted the help of Conservatory senior Ray Sweeten on synthesizer.

The new, fuller sound of Tel Aviv has indeed been "synthesized," and can be witnessed on their recent album, The Shape of Fiction. The full lineup of Comer, Sweeten and Krauss will be present Saturday night.

Recent graduate Jason Molina, a.k.a. Songs: Ohia, writes simple and beautiful songs on his tenor guitar. The discography of Songs: Ohia begins back in the spring of '96, when Will Oldham's Palace Records (a subsidiary of Chicago's Drag City label) released the debut single. The song "Soul: Part II" was particularly representative of Molina's ability to create a quietly haunting melody.

Besides Molina, Songs: Ohia has had a rotating lineup, including senior Eoin Russell (bass and organ), senior Peter Hess (clarinet), Todd Jacops (drums and guitar), and Mike McCartney (banjo and guitar). The second single by Songs: Ohia, on Secretly Canadian Records, revealed a heavier side of the group, with Russell boosting the sound on bass. Russell also recorded this single, as well as the debut album on Secretly Canadian, which will be coming out in a matter of days.

The Songs: Ohia album is remarkably diverse. At times, it is reminiscent of the first single, while the addition of Hess' subdued clarinet playing and Russell's gothic-sounding organ indicates a new direction. Molina will play a stripped-down set with senior Nick Stumpf backing him up on drums.

Nozzle, reputedly great turntable/guitar improvisers, will round out the night.