From the Land of Ice, Bears, and Rock

I know I usually talk about the emotional associations I draw from the albums I love, but Red Fox Grey Fox’s album From the Land of Bears, Ice and Rock made in 2007 is perhaps the most emotionally resounding. This is because sincerity flows out of every note that is played to a point where everything just seems so overwhelmingly genuine. When this type of feeling resonates in the listener, the listening experience proves to be highly enjoyable and very real. They may be an acquired taste but once acquired, the taste is rewarding to say the least.

In terms of the band’s sound, this album can generally be identified with the indie genre while being paired with good old rock. A classic combination of instruments including the guitar, piano, bass, and drums serves as the foundation for what Red Fox Grey Fox accomplishes in the album. A component of the band that undeniably adds a whole new dimension to their capabilities as artists is how each member can interchangeably play all of the instruments that are used. The most defining characteristic of this band is the voice of Pete Miller whose falsetto voice can easily be mistaken for that of a woman’s at first. This aspect of the band is not interchangeable. The voice is far too unique to be imitated.

He both possesses powerhouse capabilities and range within his vocal limits that is both musically enchanting and engaging. If the seductive Sirens of Greek mythology could take chubby, bearded man form this is the voice they would sound like. The instrumentation is great, but I personally feel that it couldn’t stand without the vocals. Or maybe once you hear Miller’s voice you can’t go back. The only thing I wasn’t totally impressed with is the quality of some of the production value in terms of how the instruments actually sound. It might be a good thing though. Maybe the lack of some elements of perfected sound quality adds to the organic, down to earth aesthetic of the band. Overall, this album is one of the most frequently listened to albums in my collection. I definitely recommend this to people who can get over men sounding feminine in their music. 

I couldn't find the songs I wanted to include, so heres the only one I could find on youtube. Super indie right?

...And The Battle Begun

The album ...And The Battle Begun created by one of my favorite bands Rx Bandits was as astonishing to listen to the first time as it sill remains today. Although Rx Bandits have officially disbanded as of 2011, their albums and loving attitude towards music will continue to resonate with me for some time to come. They were previously based in Seal Beach, California and were comprised of Matt Embree on vocals/lyrics/guitar, Steve Choi on guitar/keyboard, Joseph Troy of bass, Christopher Sheets on trombone/vocals, and last but not least, Chris Tsagakis on drums. Their music truly reflects the confluence of creative capabilities that each member of the band had in abundance. Their style is definitely unique as it blends together rock, punk, ska, and reggae into what can only be called Rx Bandits. With this album, the band returned to more of the ska instrumentation while not exactly returning to ska itself. The trombone in this album is mainly used to highlight the underlying reggae progressions that most of their songs seem to include without overdoing it. Too much reggae is never a good thing. One of the bands and this album's defining characteristics is the flawless transitions from light and melodic sounds, to progressive jamming and instrumental music, to just purely cathartic, rock energy. With this being said, I think I like Rx Bandit's use of song structure the most out of all the bands I listen to (but don't quote me on that).

In terms of song consistency, this album overdoes it in the best way possible. I was amazed by how each song flowed from one another to the next so seamlessly. This musical excellence can be attributed to the band's high quality production value and their immense reserves of musical tact. Although I know that the band has ceased creating music, I will always keep a special place for them in my heart (iTunes).