wweek review of 2008/03/16 show

Tara Jane ONeil, Dragging an Ox Through Water, Sad Horse, Woolly Mammoth Comes to Dinner, Dirty Mittens
[DECONSTRUCTED POP] The pairing of indie-rock legend Tara Jane ONeil and Brian Mumford’s (usually solo) Dragging an Ox Through Water makes so much sense it makes me feel like all is right in the world. TJO’s dissonant guitar cuts through aural scenery like lightning with a crackling burst. DAOTW’s compositions for guitar, recorder and various electronic processes sound like a mutant race misinterpreting the blueprint for pop and yielding something infinitely more interesting. Experimental is a dubious and often foolishly brandished title, and though it may seem to fit here, it doesn’t. These artists aren’t experimenting—they are deconstructing, examining and reinventing music—and unlike the onanism involved in improvisational music, these two are better artists for being aware someone is listening. JIM SANDBERG. , 1001 SE Morrison St., 239-7639.