Bow to the might of Foxy Shazam!
For years, the trend in music was to be understated, refined and cool. The age of the showman were over for the hipsters and reserved purely for the casual music fan who tended to be the wrong side of thirty and wanted to see the band they liked in arenas rather than venues. Shoe gazers, from My Bloody Valentine through Oasis right up to The Strokes were the order of the day. Anyone seen moving around or tipping their head back for a guitar solo was bullied by the rest of the band after the show. Well, probably.
It's come as somewhat of a welcome return recently that there are people who are dynamic and flamboyant in the way that rock stars are meant to be. The Scissor Sisters, shunned by their native America but loved here in the UK, showed us that a live show could actually be both intimate and fun and, more recently, Mika has demonstrated that bonkers, overblown pop songs actually thrill more than the dour drabness of many more serious NME lauded types. It's in this mould that we come to Foxy Shazam and their debut album.
The sleevenotes for “Introducing...” state that the album is for “fans of Modest Mouse, Blood Brothers, Queen and Rev. Al Green”, which sums up pretty much everything that you need to know about the album. Subtle it ain't. This is a turned-up-to-eleven, shameless blast through a series of songs that never stops for breath, doesn't apologise for what it is or really cares what you think. It's an attack on the senses. And its bloody marvellous.
“Introducing...” hits you like a platform heel to the face and delights and surprises at more or less every turn. The tone and delivery of the Meat Loaf esque “The Rocketeer” should thrill you in a lasting way, the soft but passionate tones and flavours of the amazingly titled “Black Man's Breakfast” should move you and the intensity and fury of “Yes! Yes! Yes!” will completely affirm that this album is a winner. There is variety and range on show, but is all enveloped by the same over ambitious, naïve approach that makes this a frenetic and exciting aural excursion. People seeking something relaxing should certainly not bother with this. But those who like their rock music the way that it was intended should certainly give this a try. I promise you that you're not going to hear anything quite like this again this year. Great stuff.