| Jesus H. Foxx ≈ Endless Knocking (2012) |
Jesus H. Foxx ¤ Endless Knocking
Location: Edinburgh, Scotland
Album release: 2012
Record Label: Song, by Toad Records / SBTR-A-023
Duration: 36:59
Tracks:
01. The Reins, Quick
02. So the Wind Won’t…
03. Permanent Defeat
04. Elegy For the Good
05. Twins
06. Half the Man You Were
07. This is Not a Rental Car
08. So Much Water
09. Twins (reprise)
10. J+J
11. Pari
¦ Since releasing the Matter EP on Song, by Toad Records in August 2009, their debut album has been, they have assured me, mere weeks away from completion. And two and a half years later, here it is.
¦ The album was actually finished, once, in October 2010 but when the band listened to the final mixes for some reason it just didn’t excite them – sounding a bit over-worked and not really coming together as a complete album.
¦ So after some brutal remixing of existing stuff, stripping some songs back to no more than the original drum track, and entirely re-recording others from scratch, suddenly Endless Knocking came together almost immediately, and sounded as they wanted it right from the very beginning.
¦ And so, after a rather quiet two and a half years, Jesus H. Foxx have a couple of singles coming up, a whole new album to present, and a considerably re-vamped lineup from the last time they regularly graced Scottish venues. They are still very much themselves though, and I suppose that essence was what was such a challenge to capture on record. ¦ (http://songbytoadrecords.com)
Lineup:
¦ Michael Hunter – guitar
¦ Richie Henderson – guitar
¦ Rich Butler – bass
¦ Neil Duncan – guitar
¦ Tallah Brash – cornet/glockenspiel/keys
¦ Tom Western – keys
¦ Jesus H. Foxx are a seven-piece band from Edinburgh. They have a drummer, three guitarists, one bassist, one keyboard and one cornet player (who sometimes plays a glockenspiel). They all sing a bit.
Initially starting off as a four-piece, they were born in the Summer of 2007 from the wreckage of several other bands you’ve probably never heard of. Soon after forming, Jesus H. Foxx went on to release a 7″ entitled ‘Tightt Ideas’ on Glasgow label Broken Friend Records, and since then they have grown in size as well as popularity.)
Press:
¦ “Amalgamates The Modern Lovers’ apathetic composure with the rhythmic deviancy of Pavement” - Drowned in Sound
¦ “They are both modest and wrong…..rich in melodies and rhythm” - The List
¦ “Shambolic, rambunctious, and utterly charming.” - The Skinny
¦ “I love this band!” - Vic Galloway, Radio 1
Press resources:
Bandcamp page – Live photos (by Markus Thorsen)
¦ Tim Stokes
¦ Monday, 04 June 2012
¦ An intriguing barrage of rhythms that lack a little connection
Presented inside a very grey album cover and with a band name that suggests little, it is tricky to assume what to expect from ‘Endless Knocking’. Indeed, even upon listening through these 11 songs, the listener is left with a curious sense of bewilderment.
¦ ‘Endless Knocking’ is an intriguing, yet confusing record. Based around the unassuming, almost spoken vocals of singer Michael Hunter, Jesus H. Foxx’s music sprints around in all kinds of directions. Repetitive rhythms race into one style before slowing and altering abruptly to become something entirely different, and then completely changing again, all within individual songs. At times this dynamic leads to wonderful things.
¦ The odd repeating vocals and guitar of ‘So The Wind Won’t…’ mix with beautifully lush strings to provide a basis for a song which starts as a frantic rhythm, before slowing into glorious harmonies, and ending with a final blast of instruments being bashed. However, as the record progresses, the erratic nature of the music starts to become it’s undoing. Faced by such a barrage of changing rhythms, the listener begins to lose a bit of interest. There is little to connect to during these songs, with Hunter’s voice being the only real constant, and that itself becomes a little bland over time. ‘Endless Knocking’ is an ambitious and at times fascinating record, which is only at fault of trying to achieve too much, in too little space of time. ¦ Rating: 7/10
¦ (http://www.americana-uk.com)
| Jesus H. Foxx ≈ Endless Knocking (2012) |
Jesus H. Foxx ¤ Endless Knocking
Location: Edinburgh, Scotland
Album release: 2012
Record Label: Song, by Toad Records / SBTR-A-023
Duration: 36:59
Tracks:
01. The Reins, Quick
02. So the Wind Won’t…
03. Permanent Defeat
04. Elegy For the Good
05. Twins
06. Half the Man You Were
07. This is Not a Rental Car
08. So Much Water
09. Twins (reprise)
10. J+J
11. Pari
¦ Since releasing the Matter EP on Song, by Toad Records in August 2009, their debut album has been, they have assured me, mere weeks away from completion. And two and a half years later, here it is.
¦ The album was actually finished, once, in October 2010 but when the band listened to the final mixes for some reason it just didn’t excite them – sounding a bit over-worked and not really coming together as a complete album.
¦ So after some brutal remixing of existing stuff, stripping some songs back to no more than the original drum track, and entirely re-recording others from scratch, suddenly Endless Knocking came together almost immediately, and sounded as they wanted it right from the very beginning.
¦ And so, after a rather quiet two and a half years, Jesus H. Foxx have a couple of singles coming up, a whole new album to present, and a considerably re-vamped lineup from the last time they regularly graced Scottish venues. They are still very much themselves though, and I suppose that essence was what was such a challenge to capture on record. ¦ (http://songbytoadrecords.com)
Lineup:
¦ Michael Hunter – guitar
¦ Richie Henderson – guitar
¦ Rich Butler – bass
¦ Neil Duncan – guitar
¦ Tallah Brash – cornet/glockenspiel/keys
¦ Tom Western – keys
¦ Jesus H. Foxx are a seven-piece band from Edinburgh. They have a drummer, three guitarists, one bassist, one keyboard and one cornet player (who sometimes plays a glockenspiel). They all sing a bit.
Initially starting off as a four-piece, they were born in the Summer of 2007 from the wreckage of several other bands you’ve probably never heard of. Soon after forming, Jesus H. Foxx went on to release a 7″ entitled ‘Tightt Ideas’ on Glasgow label Broken Friend Records, and since then they have grown in size as well as popularity.)
Press:
¦ “Amalgamates The Modern Lovers’ apathetic composure with the rhythmic deviancy of Pavement” - Drowned in Sound
¦ “They are both modest and wrong…..rich in melodies and rhythm” - The List
¦ “Shambolic, rambunctious, and utterly charming.” - The Skinny
¦ “I love this band!” - Vic Galloway, Radio 1
Press resources:
Bandcamp page – Live photos (by Markus Thorsen)
¦ Tim Stokes
¦ Monday, 04 June 2012
¦ An intriguing barrage of rhythms that lack a little connection
Presented inside a very grey album cover and with a band name that suggests little, it is tricky to assume what to expect from ‘Endless Knocking’. Indeed, even upon listening through these 11 songs, the listener is left with a curious sense of bewilderment.
¦ ‘Endless Knocking’ is an intriguing, yet confusing record. Based around the unassuming, almost spoken vocals of singer Michael Hunter, Jesus H. Foxx’s music sprints around in all kinds of directions. Repetitive rhythms race into one style before slowing and altering abruptly to become something entirely different, and then completely changing again, all within individual songs. At times this dynamic leads to wonderful things.
¦ The odd repeating vocals and guitar of ‘So The Wind Won’t…’ mix with beautifully lush strings to provide a basis for a song which starts as a frantic rhythm, before slowing into glorious harmonies, and ending with a final blast of instruments being bashed. However, as the record progresses, the erratic nature of the music starts to become it’s undoing. Faced by such a barrage of changing rhythms, the listener begins to lose a bit of interest. There is little to connect to during these songs, with Hunter’s voice being the only real constant, and that itself becomes a little bland over time. ‘Endless Knocking’ is an ambitious and at times fascinating record, which is only at fault of trying to achieve too much, in too little space of time. ¦ Rating: 7/10
¦ (http://www.americana-uk.com)