Review Summary: Raw and honest folk rock from Melbourne's busiest man.
You’ve got to wonder where Ezekiel Ox gets his energy from. In the last two years the man has sung on three different albums, successfully sold shows in the UK, starred in a number of big musicals, been involved in the rise and fall of two great bands whilst also being a part of countless other projects. Pseudo supergroup The Ox and the Fury is perhaps the most consistent of his many endeavours essentially due to the fact that it’s the only one that has stayed together for a significant amount of time, despite having a revolving door of bassists and drummers. After finally finding a settled line up featuring drummer Lucius Borich (from Aussie prog stalwarts Cog), bassist Ben Brennan and guitarist Dom Italiano, The Fury’s debut album
Guitars Die in Hot Cars has finally seen the light of day.
Opener ‘Easy’ kicks the album off in style with Italiano’s semi country guitar styling going perfectly with Ox’s upbeat vocal delivery. Also, the song works well as a bit of a metaphor for the album, with Ox lamenting that it is only on his acoustic guitar where the songs come easily. It is therefore fitting that The Fury’s debut has arrived during a time of transition in Ox’s career. In fact, the content on
Guitars Die in Hot Cars gives quite an insight into the more emotional side of Ox’s career. Most apparent is that of ‘Christmas in California,’ which depicts the turmoil of Full Scale’s last days.
While being primarily filled with straightforward folk songs,
Guitars Die in Hot Cars also sees The Fury dabble with a few other ideas, namely the band’s country influences. This is particularly true for the more energetic cuts such as ‘Worried’ and ‘Machines.’ ‘Worried’ sees the band’s funk and country influences come to the fore with the verses benefiting greatly from the addition of violin and a more pronounced bass line from Brennan. Those familiar with Ox’s early work will remember ‘Machines’ of his rare solo EP
Winter in Suburbia. Via the backing of a full band it has received quite a facelift, with the extra musicians and instruments filling out the song to its true potential.
Given the high profile some of the members of The Fury possess, it’s impossible not to mention the transition from their previous work. The most apparent is that of Ox’s vocal delivery. Gone are the angry, politically based rants and in their place is the kind of heartfelt emotion (see ‘Doorlist Miracles’) only ever heard before on
Winter in Suburbia. However, he still shows off his enormous range at times, with ‘Christmas In California’ and the sombre ‘Evolving’ reminding the listener of Ox’s vocal talents. Similar to Ox, drummer Lucius Borich also experiences quite a large difference between his various projects. Specifically, while transition from Cog’s experimental rock epics to The Fury’s more accessible songs is quite large, Borich still shows why he is arguably the best rock drummer in Australia.
Guitars Die in Hot Cars succeeds on a number of levels, with enough variation in the song writing preventing the album from growing stale. With the addition of female backing vocals and a well placed guitar riff by Italiano, every song has something that will make the listener come back to it, helped by the number of sing along moments throughout the record. For example, the chorus of single ‘We’ll Never Know’ ensures there will always be a chance for fans to belt out the lyrics at gigs, as does the as does the verses of ‘The 35th of May.’
For what was only ever intended as an outlet for Ezekiel Ox’s softer side,
Guitars Die in Hot Cars is yet another win for the dreaded ‘side project.’ The sheer talent put into every instrument shows The Ox and the Fury are a formidable collection of musicians. They also write some pretty damn good folk rock.
