Red Fox Grey Fox – A Snake. A Scoundrel. This Man is Cursed.
Record Label: unsigned
Release Date: September 28, 2009
This old gutted house/ Became my cell
This line, from the opening track of Red Fox Grey Fox’s follow-up to 2009’s brilliant full-length From the Land of Bears, Ice, and Rocks, fits. It just feels right. Listening to A Snake. A Scoundrel. This Man is Cursed. is a bit like tip-toeing through an abandoned building. Here and there, massive, crumbling walls teeter over expertly placed chords and thumping percussion. Quiet riffs peek out into the empty spaces like twisted steel girders and the floating light of Peter Miller’s atmospheric vocals fills in the cracks, diffusing a decadent glow across the scene. There are rough edges, but they’re exposed and honest and completely natural. They just fit.
A matching pair of picked guitar lines cast their shadows over the beginning measures of “Nathan Thinks I Accidentally Prayed,” pausing to allow Miller’s voice to join them before cymbals and bells bloom into view. The track builds as the guitars and percussion pick up in intensity and the vocals soar into the track’s conclusion as Miller cries “I’m not here/ I’m not here/ I’m not here/This house is finally falling/ Apart.” The second track, “Confidence/Competence,” lives up to its title, wasting no time in getting to the point. A few seconds in and the song is already rocking as melodic drones hum behind crunching riffs. All the while, drums pulse and shout while Miller’s melodies climb and his vocal chords rend. It’s not quite screaming, not quite yelling, and not quite singing, yet it works. It just fits.
“When Bad People Happen to Good Things” continues the trend, constructing a pastiche of riffs, percussion, keys, soft falsetto, and strained suspensions. Architecturally, this is the EPs strongest point, as it transitions seamlessly from emotion to emotion, confession to confession. Every instrument plays a part, pushing and pulling the song in new and unexpected directions. The title track places bells at the fore and Miller finally gets some help when gang vocals join him mid-way through. The final two minutes of the tune are some of the most explosive as the guitars are let loose in luscious layers. It’s far denser than the rest of the EP, but it works. It just fits.
A Snake. A Scoundrel. This Man is Cursed. spans the distance between a fantastic full-length and a new album scheduled for a 2010 release. Like an abandoned building, it might not grab your attention at first glance, but a quick walk through reveals a compelling and strangely beautiful setting. On its own, it’s quite good, and as a bridge between records, it works. Really, it just fits.
I can't stand this guy's voice. Which is weird because I love all the comparisons he's getting to other vocalists. I'll try listening to it again because this review was pretty good and maybe it just missed me the first time around.
I can't stand this guy's voice. Which is weird because I love all the comparisons he's getting to other vocalists. I'll try listening to it again because this review was pretty good and maybe it just missed me the first time around.
i can see what you're saying. try this, if you would: head to the myspace page and listen to some of the tunes towards the bottom of the player (particularly "Up with Mittens, Down with Gloves" and "Building a Building"). they're from the band's first full-length and the sound is a little less raw. maybe you'll dig those a bit more.
i can see what you're saying. try this, if you would: head to the myspace page and listen to some of the tunes towards the bottom of the player (particularly "Up with Mittens, Down with Gloves" and "Building a Building"). they're from the band's first full-length and the sound is a little less raw. maybe you'll dig those a bit more.
Great review.... i think, like you said, this is a nice little EP to help tide us over until the next full length and I think it will satisfy us just enough until then.
I saw then open for Mae a few weeks ago in Minneapolis, and it was fantastic. I wish they would have played more tracks off of their full length, but their new ep sounds just as solid. Great band, all nice guys.
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