Deep in the city of Cincinnati is a band by the name of
Foxy Shazam. If you're curious what Foxy Shazam means, it means "Cool Shoes" according to lead singer Eric Nally who discovered the phrase from a student while in high school.
Foxy Shazam's biggest moment as a band had to be when their song
Unstoppable was used in Super Bowl XLIV this year. But I'm not here to talk about the current
Foxy Shazam album. I'm here to talk about their follow up album to the fan favorite
The Flamingo Trigger. Introducing was
Foxy Shazam's second album and in this album Foxy introduces themselves to the world and in this album we discover what
Foxy Shazam is all about.
What we discover is that Foxy is a band full of energy and insanity from Eric Nally's screaming vocals to straight up madness, Introducing truly is a delight. Introducing combines so many different elements of music from pop to rock to alternative rock to piano rock. There is literally a song called Yes!, Yes!, Yes! where Nally delivers these lyrics " I can't control my feet, I feel like moving". This line along with the piano infuse a sensation of uncontrollable madness. And that's not even scratching the surface. In the opening track Introducing Foxy. Nally repeats the line "I wish I was black, I wish I was black, I wanna be black" You just sit there baffled by how random the line is and yet it fits the band perfectly.
Introducing is an album that literally makes no sense and yet it makes a lot of sense. Every song is catchy and different. Some are straight up rock songs, some are pop songs, some are piano infused ballads. Introducing is a jambalaya of genres and madness. Eric Nally is basically Freddy Mercury re imagined from the mustache on his face to the lyrics he sings. Foxy Shazam truly are one of the most unique and energetic bands on the scene right now. If you want to give them a try, I suggest you seek out this album like I did.
Track Listing
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1. "Introducing Foxy"- 3:18
2. "The Rocketeer" - 2:49
3. "A Dangerous Man"- 3:06
4. "The Science of Love" 3:04
5. "A Black Man's Breakfast"-3:30
6. "It's Hair Smelled Like Bonfire"-2:41
7. "Red Cape Diver" - 4:17
8. "Yes! Yes! Yes!" - 2:55
9. "Ghost Animals"- 3:28
10. "Cool"- 4:12
Anberlin's follow up to New Surrender will be out this Tuesday and I got a hold of a copy. Being indifferent on the band since I've only heard two of their albums, I overall enjoyed this album. We Owe This To Ourselves starts the album out and it's rocking. Stephen Christan asks "Is This The End of Everything" In the chorus, he says "We owe this to our selves, We owe this our selves, we just can't let this go" It's catchy and overall enjoyable. Next up we have what will be the mainstream darling of the album, Impossible. It's is almost Angels and Airwaves inspired better yet a U2 wannabe. It's catchy, It's got a good riff, you want to sing along, If you haven't figured it out. This album is Anberlin trying to reach mainstream? Is that a good thing? I guess that's up to you.
The Static Age are a post-punk band from Burlington, Vermont consisting primarily of Andrew Paley and Adam Meilleur. they got their name from a Misfits album. I/O starts with Damages and it's nice from beginning to end. It has an 80's feel to it from the synthesizer to the electronic beats and dripping effects. The repeating of the words "they will keep you safe" could send chills down your spine. We then transits to Already Dead, an almost Phil Collins reject song, the vocals and lyrics are soft and the style it has, it made me think of Phil Collins. Now if that's a good thing or bad thing is up for interpretation. Overall I really enjoyed this album but it's almost more of an EP with only 6 songs on the album roughly over 4 mins each equaling out to about 25 mins.