Foxy Shazam

Band: Foxy Shazam

Album: Foxy Shazam

Release Date: April 13^th 2010

Band Members: Eric Sean Nally, Loren Daniel Turner, Daisy, Schuyler Vaughn White, Aaron McVeigh, Alex Nauth

Better late than nrver they say. Merry Christmas from 5-A-Side Review

Enjoy x

Nick

45 minutes of unabashed, euphoric, wild sounding but tightly executed rock n roll, this album is a homage to classic rock featuring testicle clenching high vocals and tasty, memorable guitar licks that bore your way into your brain and stay there as stubborn as a tumour. The highlight is The Second Floor, four minutes of fist pumping, head banging, melodic anthemic goodness. Teenage Demon Baby is delightfully cheesy with a chorus that almost steals a vocal melody from Bonnie Tyler’s Total Eclipse of the Heart while tracks like Wanna be-Angel just grab you by the ears and drag you along on a frenzied aural journey at breakneck speed. Unlike other shameless exploiters of rock n roll clichés (remember The Darkness?) these guys know how to write a song; the soaring melodies and interweaving guitar and piano licks are almost reminiscent of Queen, a comparison helped by the sheer delightful pomposity of songs such as Unstoppable.

Having said that this album is nothing new and, one suspects after a few listens, rather shallow. These songs will probably wear out quite quickly through repeated listening. This happens to all pop songs but some, such as many on this album, have a shorter shelf life than others. Tracks like Oh Lord and The Only Way To My Heart… are already starting to grate a bit in their insistence on loud, brash, dumb fun. However, right now I don’t care that much; right now this album still feels fun, fresh and full of life and I’m going to enjoy that feeling while it lasts.

Favourite song: The Second Floor

Sounds like: Early Queen, Aerosmith

Which historical figure needs to hear this album? One of the more decadent party animal monarchs. George IV perhaps.

Liam

What can I say? I love this album. It’s the kind of fun, electric pop music that makes me smile and my bus trips that little bit more enjoyable in the mornings.

At first listen you may think that the lead singer, Eric Sean Nally, is the son that Freddie Mercury never had but this is more of a nod to a hero rather than a shameless copying of vocal styles. And spot on they are. Eric plays his natural instrument perfectly hitting notes even eunuchs would dream of.

The rest of the band is all very good at what they do too. The ensemble has the manadatory guitar, bass and drums but also includes horns and piano. The piano and horns work really well to drive the fast paced verses into full gear and give the chorus a real kick that make you join in the energy they exude with a shout or jump that really makes you feel like you’re enjoying it.

Stand out songs like ‘Wanna-be Angel’, ‘Unstoppable’ and ‘Second Floor’ are pure pop perfection that need to be sung arm in arm with your friends at the end of a good nights binge drinking. The albums second half tries to diversify style a little. While change is usually a good thing some of the final songs are a bit hit and miss. ‘Connect’ may be a little too understated for some and the cocky swagger of ‘The Only Way to My Heart...’ may seem to grate.

The one thing that is missing from this album is the rock ‘n’ roll mainstay of the extended guitar solo. You’ll be hard pressed to find one here which keeps this album strictly pop. But then ‘The Darkness’ did become pretty damn annoying pretty damn quickly.

If you like you three and a half pop songs with a bit of bite, energy and balls out fun then I can’t recommend this album enough.

Favourite Song: Wanna-be Angel

Which historical figure needs to hear this album? Lord Cardigan. Just because ‘Unstoppable’ should have been bleared on loudspeaker during The Charge of The Light Brigade

Rob

It’s difficult to compare Foxy Shazam to any one artist because their influences are so broad. The passionate vocals of Eric Nally have been likened to Freddie Mercury (particularly in Unstoppable) and he certainly shares that passionate and ambitious tone. From soul to Springsteen their third album effectively combines a variety of styles in an upbeat fashion that will get you hooked in minutes.

The sound is muddled at points and sometimes there’s just too much going on. However this can be forgiven to some extent because Nally’s voice dominates the score so well. It’s important to recognise the talent of the band as a whole, including the pianist Sky White whose catchy pop melodies augment the band’s appeal.

With An Axe is probably the stand out song where Nally showcases the versatility of his voice box and becomes a diva. The lyrics are often tongue-in-cheek (Bye Bye Symphony) but ultimately contribute to the cheeriness of the record. I definitely prefer the second half of the album, where notable influences include Meatloaf and The Killers.

Although unintentionally comical in places we have a great record here and I will look forward to hearing what this band does next. With more musical direction and consistency, they could be far more successful. I will be listening to this album for weeks to come. It is a must.

Favourite song: With An Axe

Which historical figure needs to hear this album? Ludwig van Beethoven (for want of a better answer)

Jamie

Well Foxy Shazam are an interesting band. I happened to see them support Motion City Soundtrack in August and they provided a lively, exciting and very eccentric atmosphere. The album does the same, the front man has a very distinctive voice and attitude, the emphasis of the music is focused around the piano and the rest of the band provide a powerful punk and glam rock inspired sound.

The over all style of Foxy Shazam combines the rock ballad style of Queen, a hint of Michael Jackson (Count Me Out) and pop-punk/emo style of bands like My Chemical Romance and Fall out Boy. It’s an original sound and shows that this band want to fit in with the contemporary rock bands but at the same time play music that makes use of their own influences.

After the strange intro we get four really powerful and in my opinion the standout tracks “Bombs Away”, “Wanna Be Angel”, “Count Me Out” and “Unstoppable” each making use of catchy choruses, interesting lyrics which tell stories or provide insights to the singers life (“and all you hipsters say I’m gay/but I’m not gay at all!”) and guitar and sometimes saxophone solos. The rest of the album carries on in a similar fashion and we also see some more relaxed pop style ballads.

So if you like fast music that isn’t too heavy, but is clever and entertaining at the same time (especially if you like a good sing along!) then check these guys out , even if you’re not into pop-punk/emo.

If you like this check out:
Motion City Soundtrack - My Dinosaur Life
Lostprophets - Liberation Transmission
New Found Glory - Coming Home

Favourite song: Count Me Out

Which historical figure needs to hear this album? Salvador Dali, he would have enjoyed painting his surrealism to this exciting music.

Steve

Few know my truly despicable trade secret, something so dark and twisted it makes grown men shriek, children weep and family pets spontaneously die. I detest Queen with a passion. When the new year comes, it heralds the arrival of ‘We are the Champions’ to which everyone gets a kick from, except me, while revellers frolic to the hearty tune, I stand alone in the corner looking more awkward than usual.

So for me Foxy Shazam is something I should loathe, seeing as their influence is clearly Queen, however, these guys sound like they’re having the time of their lives. It’s this passion and enthusiasm that stops me from lobotomising this album. Truthfully, I feel like an outsider; I don’t get it, whatsoever. The realm of joyous Queen is enchanting and this is when you can really get embroiled by the singles, ‘Unstoppable’ and ‘Oh Lord’ which do an amazing job of hooking you in. The other high point is ‘Wanna Be Angel’ and ‘Killin It’ which have just the right balance of sombre music and rising choruses. On the flipside, songs like Second Floor, have mediocre lyrics and tempo which no amount of post-production can save.

So to summarise, I’ve found that post Queen sounding Queen can be good, but sadly my prejudices just prevent my narrow mind from branching out. While this definitely isn’t my music, I do enjoy it when a band sounds like they are having fun and Foxy Shazam makes for merry, care free listening.

Which historical figure needs to hear this album? Hitler, lighten up mate.