The only thing that really clued me in to a new Foxy Shazam album on the horizon was the announcement of their extensive US tour that is already underway. As far as actually advertising Animality Opera, not much was done. I do believe it is another self-produced juggernaut, but still, sell your awesome selves!
In any case, the album found me, and that’s all that really matters. I have been a diehard Foxy fan for such a long time now that it’s hard to say when it became official. They’ve got their quirks, but at their core they are a rock and roll band and they will smack you in the face with it. From that perspective, the title of this new album is pretty dang fitting. There is a chaotic quality to almost everything they release, yet they have a finesse that will shock and wildly impress. This is largely to due with Eric Nally’s insane vocal range and quality, but the band that backs him up is straight fire.
Almost this entire album hit all the right notes for me, and what better way to win me over than with an attention grabbing opening track? “Rhumbatorium” gives us blasting horns, a little spoken word bit at the end, and some seriously high energy throughout. Also doesn’t hurt that “our music is shit and the world is a toilet” gets thrown out right at the start. Right off the heels of that raucous opener, we get “Pink Sky,” a track that almost does a complete 180. It boasts really clean and smooth vocals. And for whatever reason it really reminded me of old My Chemical Romance.
Lots of tracks on this album have a strong jazz undertone, such as “Dragonfly Chase” and “Treacherous Pursuit.” I personally was a fan of “King of Animality” which gave off really strong Americana rock vibes. There was a power ballad on this album, one with futuristic feels, and plenty of straight up rock. “You Don’t Judge the Birds” was really cool and could totally dominate in a festival. Aside from all of these different genres, there was a fair bit of spoken word across the tracks on this album. It particularly works for “Karaoke Pain” – this is one I definitely recommend checking out.
Overall, this was another strong entry from a eclectic and amazing band.