Foxy Shazam

Introducing

Written by: PP on 26/01/2008 21:53:09

Ferret and its associate labels are known to sign bands that thrive to stray away from restrictive genre definitions and attempt to integrate a distinctive element of originality into their music. The bands in their roster always sound remotely like some of their genre colleagues, but each interpret the genre in a way that separates them from the gray mass.

Foxy Shazam, one of Ferret/New Weatherman\'s latest signings, is no exception with their piano-filled bar ballads fueled by the rage of a hardcore band. Appropriately titled as \"Introducing\", their sophomore album presents a convincing combination of hardcore, southern metalcore, and punk rock, and throws in a couple of surprises as well. Who would\'ve thought it was possible to base all of your songs on loud, eccentric traditional piano, which sounds like it could feature in any film depiction of a saloon, and get away with it as well as Foxy Shazam do? They more than just get away with it, actually, as the piano sounds like a completely natural element in the mids of the bombastic unconventional riffs. Not quite the combination you can imagine in your mind, believe me.

At the very basic level, the idea is great. Throw some Every Time I Die styled attitude and exaggerate it to the point where you can only read it as tongue-in-cheek, extravagant vocal performances by Eric Nally, who isn\'t afraid to break his voice at the high ranges or throw in a couple of scratched yells on the hand, and instrumental performance delivered with unimaginable conviction, and you\'ve got \"Introducing\".

The songs vary from the insane experimental hardcore piece \"It\'s Hair Smelled Like Bonfire\" through the overly dramatic \"A Dangerous Man\" to the theatric \"The Rocketeer\", but all share one connecting characteristic: it\'s easy to imagine all of them as a part of a grand musical somewhere in London or Broadway. Think Modest Mouse in terms of quirkiness, think Every Time I Die in terms of southern aggro-delivery, and think Maylene & The Sons Of Disaster in terms of groove.

On the holistic level, it\'s fair to say that Foxy Shazam will be quite an acquired taste for most people, because they simply sound so different. The problem with me and all these kind of bands (ETID, Maylene, Modest Mouse) is that I just don\'t seem to be able to wrap my head around them. It\'s rare for me really not enjoy listening to something, but that happens awfully often with these whiskey-drenched southerner releases, even if Foxy Shazam isn\'t directly a southern rock release. I can recognize the merits of the songwriting and the extravagance of the record, but for me, it\'s still lacking on the catchiness department, aside from a few ace songs like those mentioned in the paragraph before. Nonetheless worth checking out.

7

Download: A Dangerous Man, It\'s Hair Smelled Like Bonfire, Ghost Animals
For the fans of: Every Time I Die, Maylene & The Sons Of Disaster, Modest Mouse, Blood Brothers
Listen: Myspace
Buy: iTunes

Release date 22.01.2008
Ferret/New Weatherman Records

Related Items | How we score?
Comments
comments powered by Disqus

Legal

© Copyright MMXXIV Rockfreaks.net.