This second release from the Regina, Saskatchewan-based outfit is not particularly happy, yet it brings such joy!<\/p>\n
Those familiar with frontman Andy Shauf\u2019s solo work would recognize some of the defining sounds of 2<\/i>: misty Sixties\/Seventies folk sound, voluminous and warm bass, and cautiously tranquil drums. But Foxwarren don\u2019t let you get too comfortable with the familiar.<\/p>\n
2<\/i> is an album that\u2019s like a random mix of several dreams that you dream while falling asleep in front of your TV while it\u2019s on a retro movie channel. Foxwarren use soundbites from vintage movies with the same zeal as a rap act using samples. These sound-snippets are as integral to the music as the music itself is to the album.<\/p>\n
There is a real tastefulness with which Foxwarren incorporate this quirk. Sure, it sounds like an easy gag to elicit some laughs when \u201cListen2me\u201d kicks off with a sound clip of a stentorian Fifties voice commanding \u201clisten to me!\u201d but it is also such a perfectly cheeky opening for this fantastic Seventies rock-inspired number that actually sounds like it was recorded decades ago.<\/p>\n
The movie snippets certainly elevate Shauf and crew\u2019s \u201cold soul\u201d idiosyncratic musings. But 2<\/i> wows the listener in so many more wonderful ways. Foxwarren have poured their creative hearts and minds into the many intricacies of the album: cheeky flute accents on \u201cDeadhead,\u201d \u201cDance\u201d transitioning to old newsreel music, mysterious and lush intro music for the totally austere and coarse \u201cAgain&\u201d that\u2019s almost as long as the actual song, Shauf\u2019s slightly sarcastic singing on the sweepingly romantic \u201cDance,\u201d and on and on\u2026<\/p>\n
2<\/i> is an onion with infinite layers that are so pleasurable to peel! It has aspects of ambient music (\u201cSay It\u201d), old school progressive rock (\u201cSerious\u201d), and heck, even disco (\u201cWings\u201d) without an ounce of pretension and with a no-nonsense Prairie genuineness.<\/p>\n
Shauf is a bit of an indie celebrity, especially when it comes to his solo work. But one doesn\u2019t need to be aware of or even care about Shauf (and for that matter, Foxwarren) to enter into the wacky world of 2 <\/i>and appreciate it. If anything, the brilliance of 2<\/i> will most likely open the door for folks to explore Shauf and Foxwarren\u2019s previous works.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":40,"featured_media":35298,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"artist":[11085],"rating":[5646],"class_list":["post-47185","review","type-review","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","artist-foxwarren","rating-rating-a"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/47185","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/review"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/40"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=47185"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/47185\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35298"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47185"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"artist","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/artist?post=47185"},{"taxonomy":"rating","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rating?post=47185"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}