Review Summary: With less madness and more pop sensibility, Foxy Shazam returns with triumphant results.
In 2005 Foxy Shazam released their first album, The Flamingo Trigger without a label backing their efforts. The CD was sold on the internet and everywhere the band appeared. The disc sported 12 tracks, each revolving around the strange lives led by the citizens of Limousine Door, an island in the mind of Foxy’s singer, Eric Nally. With each song, the listener became submerged into a twisted orchestra of crushing riffs, swirling piano, and maniacal barks and yelps from the aforementioned front man.
After seeing the band live, a whole new dimension was added to the music. I better understood who these people were and where their “hardcore soul” was coming from. Then they signed to New Weatherman Records, an off-shoot of Ferret Music, home to bands like Every Time I Die and From Autumn To Ashes. On top of that, Foxy’s new album was set to be produced by Casey Bates, who produced Chiodos’ “Bone Palace Ballet”. I thought, “There is no way this can turn out well.” The album arrived in my mail the other day, reassuring me
that I had nothing to fear. Foxy Shazam are back and better than ever.
Eric Sean Nally - Vocals
Loren Daniel Turner – Guitar
Schuyler Vaughn White – Piano
Daisy – Bass Guitar
Joseph Allen Halberstadt – Drums
1. Introducing Foxy
After seeing it’s way through the voices of a chanting crowd and a semi-funny announcer, the song explodes into action with Eric’s scream of “I always knew there was something special about that boy and the way he stuck his hand out the window and flew it like an airplane.” The whole song is an excellent example of the album’s tone and sound. Crazy, heavy, and fun. The outro is a dainty little piano part that leads nicely into the next track. 3.5/5
2. The Rocketeer
The piano intro here is really cool and works well with guitar to create a sense of urgency. The song is about exactly what you think it is. The choruses in the sing are super anthemic and easy to sing along with. The song fades into a bridge that’s nice and bouncy, getting faster with each cry of “on guard”. 3.5/5
3. A Dangerous Man
This song is a portrait of Robin Hood in all his menacing glory. What would possess this band to write a song about him? “Every movie about Robin Hood has an awesome song in it,” explains Eric in the lyric booklet. One great thing about this song is it’s ability to stick in your head for days and days at a time. Plus, the sick guitar part in the end. 4/5
4. The Science Of Love
This is a pretty good example of the pop aspect of Foxy’s sound. Pop has always been part of their songs but this album really gives them a better chance to explore that. That shows in every song on the album, but even more on songs like “The Science Of Love” and “Cool”. When it comes to the song itself, it has some pretty cool stuff in there. First, the keyboard sounds like this educational computer game I used to play in 1st grade. The pre-chorus has some pretty snazzy guitar from Loren. Plus, around the 2:30 mark, Eric’s vocals go crazy high. Despite that, the song doesn't tend to stick with you. 3/5
5. A Black Man’s Breakfast
What? Another slow song? On a Foxy Shazam album? Well, this song is actually really cool. It’s a pretty standard piano-driven soul love song with Foxy flair. It has a nice sing-along chorus like “The Rocketeer” and has a pretty cool semi-spoken word part at the end. 4/5
6. It’s Hair Smelled Like Bonfire
After two songs the album picks up with “It’s Hair Smelled Like Bonfire”. This song is catchy, insane, fast, and is pretty much this album’s “No! Don’t Shoot”. Instead of the acid trip breakdown of that song we get a sick guitar-versus-piano solo and a weird little voice at the end. This song is feels like a reference to Foxy’s more destructive days. 4.5/5
7. Red Cape Diver
How can I describe this song? I can’t, but I will tell you, this is a real pop epic. This song tells the story of a bull fighter headed towards death at the hands of a bovine but cannot help but think of his family and the life they will lead after he’s gone. The song starts with a soft little piano solo and slides nicely into a verse that I like to think of as Michael Jackson in Spain. You might understand if you actually heard the song. The verse segues into the chorus with an explosive scream via Eric. Delicate “ah-ah-ahhhhs” are peppered over Eric’s chaotic vocals. After what might seem like the end of the song things get faster and way intense. This is where Schuyler’s piano tops of the song in a frantic fashion. What a song. 4.5/5
8. Yes! Yes! Yes!
I love every song on this CD, I really do. But out of all the songs, this one truly sums up not only album, but the band writing it. It’s just an all-out catchy, insane song that can’t help but be added into the plethora of dance party classics. The piano is at it’s best, setting the mood perfectly. The guitar solo, though not that long is still a good example of Foxy’s usual guitar work. Awesome song. 5/5
9. Ghost Animals
After an eerie and haunting piano intro the song transforms into a pounding riff that rolls out into the chorus. This song is a lot like Yes Yes Yes in the way that it has the same purpose but with different execution. This one is another cool dance track, but darker. The piano steals the show again alongside an awesome breakdown that shows the band in their most brutal state. 4/5
10. Cool
Not a lot to say about this song. It finishes the album really well, actually. The only sad part about that is that Daisy’s bass and Joseph’s drums are much more noticeable in this song. This song also has a “cool” melody that reoccurs throughout the whole song and finishes the album on the right note. Looking at the running time, the album is only 33 minutes and 16 seconds long. Needless to say, that’s pretty short. But the way I see it, the only problem I had with their last album was that there were parts that felt too much like filler. There’s no time for filler here, and I’m grateful for that. 3.5/5
With that said, Foxy Shazam have really evolved from their first release and show that well here. I personally cannot wait to see what they have in store for the future.
