Some Early Reviews

So the reviews are starting to come in….Some bands claim to not read their own press, I call bullshit. I read it. Not exactly sure what to make of some of it, but so far so good. Here is the first two reviews to come through:

Review #1..

Like A Fox - Where's My Golden Arm?

(CD, Transit of Venus, Pop)

Okay now...what the hell is going on here...? Is this The Flaming Lips doing covers of The Beatles...or what?!? Odds are that you will have the same reaction when you hear the lead track ("A Feeling That Launched A Thousand Wars") on this album. The tune begins with the vocalist singing the word "Happiness" in exactly the same way the word was sung in "Happiness Is A Warm Gun." But before there could be any possible copyright infringement, the tune quickly takes off in another direction avoiding any possible legal consequences. This clever ploy reminds us of the approach taken by The Pooh Sticks in the 1990s when they were stealing obvious lyric lines from familiar tunes...but only short snippets so that they couldn't really be accused of anything illegal. But back to Like A Fox... Fortunately the initial gimmick is the only real gimmick on this album. The remainder of Where's My Golden Arm? is anything but a joke. This Philadelphia-based band comes up with a wealth of super hummable pop tunes here...all smooth and absorbing...and the songs hold up extremely well to repeated spins. The band's music sounds like a more pop-oriented version of the previously mentioned band The Flaming Lips. We are particularly taken with "Internal/External," "On The Way," and "Been Sitting Here" (a particularly significant tune). Neat stuff. (Rating: 5+ out of 6)

Check it out on the web here .

Review #2

Like a Fox
Where's My Golden Arm?
(Transit of Venus)

Wonderfully raucous indie rock that borrows just enough from the Flaming Lips (1988-present and all that entails) to throw a spacey spin into the grooves.
There are plenty of laptop, glam and new wave elements thrashing around with the raggedy guitars and sing-song choruses. The lyrics wander off and sometimes never come back. But somehow, someway, the songs manage to come together by the time they finish.

It's a close thing at times, but I kinda like that sort of dramatic tension. And the tangents are so pretty (not to mention loopy) that it's hard not to enjoy the sideshow.

Like a Fox runs along the edge of disaster for almost this entire album. And every time, the band stays on the side of good music. This has to be intentional. If these guys didn't know what they were doing, this album would be a complete mess. I like the way they think.

Check it out here .

So far the best line is "Like a Fox runs along the edge of disaster for almost this entire album." Makes us sound "dangerous"! Feel free to point out your favorite lines in the comment section. More to come soon!

-j