reviews
world
of fox - "everything is for the best"
(comin005)
"Full of instrumental superiority and vocals that instantly attract you, this is one heck of a beautifully made album.
Performing under the name of Fox, but whose birth name is Simon Fox, this UK artist is responsible here for releasing some exquisite songs that have the ability to transport you to a far-off place full of whimsical beings that smile at your every turn. With all twelve tracks penned by Fox and the accompanied performed by him as well, to say he is talented is one hell of an understatement.
'Idiocracy' begins with some quite delightful yet sparse banjo picking which sounds like a Gothic bluegrass sound rather than a Kentuckian one. Possessing Celtic traits, this purely instrumental track is one that soothes the soul and pleases the mind. With an intriguing feel about it, 'You Don't Know Me' is full to the brim with a quirky electric groove that sounds like an eclectic artist at his best. Although it has a somewhat poignant feel about its end, this only adds an extra edge of magnificence to what really is a marvelous track. Although it can be described as a sparse song, 'A Solitary Tree On The Brow Of A Hill' raises with magnificence rather well towards a most enjoyable track which I'm sure many would describe as the best on the album.
There are countless numbers of artists out there who provide all the accompaniment and write their own material to accompany this. Some artists who follow this musical trait simply do not reach the required grade to be classed in the same league as Dylan or Paul Simon but with this album, I'm pretty damn sure this musical tag can be labeled to Fox. ****1/2"
"'Everything is for the Best' is Simon Fox's first foray into a solo, full length album under his moniker, 'World of Fox', and it boasts a depth that belies its home recording. Showcasing his talents on a range of instruments including banjo, theremin, brass and woodwind, it goes beyond the standard soloist with an acoustic guitar formula. Tracks such as opener 'Please Take Your Time' hold an almost Nordic feel with similarities to the eerie calm of 'Kings of Convenience', while the record maintains an experimental edge. Despite the delicate feel, his post-rock roots still manifest themselves in the reversed guitars, building melodies and an overall sense of drama."
"Simon Fox is one of the region’s most talented folk musicians and he’s just released a new album via Birmingham label Commercially Inviable. Featuring gentle fingerpicking laid over swirling, mesmeric backgrounds, it’s a captivating record that reveals itself slowly, unfurling a great range and depth beneath it’s beguiling exterior.
For the best part of a decade Simon was the leader of post-rock outfit Grover, which is evident on Everything Is For The Best in the immersive atmospherics that add a twist to the pastoral folk guitar that eddies above. This makes the extended instrumental passages coursing through the album a beautiful place to lose yourself a little. Lyrically, Fox playfully adapts tried-and-true verse and rhyme structures to tell modern tales of lost loves, existential malaise and drunken belligerence."
"The sad tale of Nick Drake’s demise highlighted many issues surrounding his, at the time, largely ignored musical offerings; a beauty which drifted under a misanthropic music scene, a sound of quintessential English folk music. With a sudden posthumous rise to fame a few years back thanks to some ‘celebrity’ endorsement, a joyous guitar platitude was reintroduced for all to hear, and now the sound is allowed more commercial acclaim.
I bring all of this up as I feel it is vital that the delicate beauty of a hazy English summer evening, with cider (the proper stuff, no White Lightning), hay blowing in the breeze, and crispy Sycamore leaves underfoot, is something which needs to be established in a modern music market, and so bands like World Of Fox do not continue to go past unrecognised.
Sitting comfortably in the line up for the End Of The Road festival, the current incarnation of Simon Fox (Grover, Fox, Lonesome Fox) offers his Leonard Cohen-falling-in-love heart on a platter for us to simply divulge, and at times shun for its all too personal reflections. Tracks such as ‘You Don’t Know Me’ allow the prolific musician to lull us into a sleepy hypnotic state with exceptional guitar chiming techniques, as is shown across all of Everything Is For The Best as Fox show his hands at the banjo, keyboards, theremin, mandolin, as well as other percussion, brass and woodwind instruments which are shown off in the occasional instrumental tracks like ‘The Spider’ which help us to walk along the journey of World Of Fox.
At times the record can be slightly alienating for the listener, and yes it can sound a little dated too with the like of ‘I’ll Pay More Attention To You’ becoming a distant accumulation of emotions and noises you don’t really want to hang around with for too long, but being so personal to Fox, sometimes it can leave the listener a little isolated. But when he does get it right, it’s a beautiful record to listen to, even if outside of your door is a concrete floor or a busy road, if you put on your headphones, look up to the sky, and play Everything Is For The Best, take a deep slow breath, and elevate yourself to a gentler plain, but if you shed a tear to ‘Stoneground Wholemeal’, don’t blame me."