The Review

Review: Foxy Shazam - Foxy Shazam.

Foxy Shazam, the supposedly experimental rock band coming from Ohio have recently done themselves enough bad to earn a place in this blog. 


You all know that feeling - you've been following this really great band for a while, their sound is unique and interesting and just leaves you begging for more. So... a new album is something to look forward to, right? Well, you can take it from me that you don't have to piss yourself over their self titled album set to be released on April 13th, 2010. Here at The Review we have it in advance, so heed our warning!

Their first album (under the name Foxy Shazam!), The Flamingo Trigger, was an extremely quirky album made of all kinds of rough sounds that when put together sounded like organised chaos, catchy even. The song 'NO. Don't Shoot' is the highlight of the album (and their all time best in my opinion); all the craziness, energy and chaos of the band is all there in that song. Three years later, Introducing was released. Being produced by the up and coming Casey Bates, it was a promising album. Their sound transitioned into something more catchy and 'easy' to listen to, but the band still delivered their chaotic energy, their more fun songs being 'The Rocketeer', 'It's Hair Smelled Like Bonfire', 'Yes! Yes! Yes!' amongst many others. 

So, after two strong albums I was more than ready for a third. The opening song entitled 'Intro' felt like the Foxy Shazam I knew. I was expecting the next song to be the musical equivalent of being punched in the face (in the most awesome way possible) since it had an introduction building up to it, and we're talking about Foxy Shazam here. I was severely, severely disappointed. From the second track onwards, they completely lost me. In fact, I couldn't listen to the album the whole way through at first - I was bored of all things. Any fan will know that being bored while listening to Foxy is almost impossible. There has always been so much going on in their songs that makes you want to get up and dance like an idiot, and this music? Nothing.

I'm just not feeling emotion. One song after the other sounds as if it wants to be the next big radio rock hit, but in a you're-trying-way-too-hard way. You know when you become really obsessed with a song, then that song is released as a single and is constantly played on the radio, but by now you want to cut your ears off from hearing it so much? It's the kind of feeling I got from listening to this album right off the bat. 

Every song is an overdone and tremendously cheesy, not to mention the extent the vocals strained my ears. While I very much enjoyed Nally's rough vocals on the past two albums that would go from singing a catchy tune to mad screaming to sounds I wasn't sure the human mouth could make, whereas while playing the new album I said aloud that it really sounds like there's a lesbian on lead vocals, to which I got several nods of genuine concern from people in the room. Let's just leave it at that.

The only song in which I'm feeling an ounce of the band's true potential is towards the end of 'With An Axe', but I have to say that I thought I was hearing "The only way to my heart is with an ass" at first. It was a short-lived moment - the song soon mellowed back down to the soulless sound that is Foxy Shazam, the album.

The only scenario I can see myself enjoying this album is playing it far too loudly whilst far too drunk at a far too late time of the night. Foxy, we know you can do better than this. Here's to hoping by the time it comes to album number four these guys are ready for some mad moments once more. Foxy Shazam will be released on April 13th, 2010.

The Review's Rating - 2/10.