CD Review – The Stone Foxes “Small Fires”
The San Francisco based dirty blues punk quartet The Stone Foxes have taken a brave step towards pop sensibility with their third full length release Small Fires, one that should propel them into the spotlight. The strong ten song album mixes the raw energy from their live shows that helped the band build a strong following, with sophisticated production and hook filled songwriting which draws in the listener with its more velvet hammer approach. The sound is a mix of The Stones, Iggy Pop, Black Crows, and Jack White, cleverly produced by the band and Engineer Doug Boehm ,one they call Kaleidoscopic Wonderland: simultaneously retro and modern. The album Kicks off with the blues tango retelling of Poe’s tell tale heart with the radio ready “Everybody Knows.” The first single and video shows off the gritty fuzzed up harp and vocals from Shannon Koehler who founded the band with his older brother Spence on guitar and bass player Aaron Mort at San Francisco State. The able bodied trio share vocal duties from song to song and are augmented by the tasty playing of Elliott Peltzman on, keys. The tribute anthem to boxer “Cotto,” is as muscular as one of the fighters own rapid fire punches. While the minor key soldiers lament “Battles, Blades & Bones played out on sparse piano and guitar shows the Foxes are capable of real depth and poignancy. The slinky groove of “Talk to Louise,” and country swinger “Good Night Moon,” come off like “The Band” on Steroids, both delivering an easy sing along chorus alongside thick guitar tones and a nimble rhythm section. Small Fires may prove to help the Stone Foxes catch on in a big way.
Everybody Knows” from The Stone Foxes latest album “Small Fires”. Directed by David Dutton. Get a Free MP3 of the track at the Foxes website: www.thestonefoxes.com
Rick J Bowen