Fox Jaw Bounty Hunters

Fox Jaw Bounty Hunters released their debut EP back in April on Manga Boy Records. I've had this on the back burner ever since, keeping it in mind to review, so lets set the record straight and finally get in the mention here.

Best pitched as Soundgarden with a smirk, Fox Jaw Bounty Hunters mix shades of dark imagery and heavy sledding, but relieve us from too much weathering with dollops mockery and a good sense of fun to boot. Reviews of the EP in the music press have been quite positive all round, and I'm not going to stand in their way here either. I will pick out different highlights however, with Little Black Marble, which opens with a haunting intro that evokes images of deathly western showdowns before lumbering through its menace, being the stand-out track of the EP as far as this listener is concerned. However, Darker Shade Of Blue, a lament not far from some of Nick Cave's material, also deserves particular mention, and not just for reasons of diversity. Elsewhere we descend into near-daftness with echoes of Funbobby, their former band, but the EP is worth suffering the lows for its stronger points. We are also treated to two bonus tracks, including a demo of the much lauded Delorian Obsession, which makes the EP an 8-track offering in total, with over 30 minutes play time. At that length, we have a release which some more mercenary labels would pitch as an album, double the price, and halve the worth. Fortunately for Fox Jaw Bounty Hunters sake that has not happened. As it stands as an EP, this is a 7/10, and recommended for those who appreciate a piledriving rock/punk-metal crossover, where the browbeating is almost always served up with ample cartoon buffoonery, and roughest textures are left unchewed.

Related Links:

http://www.myspace.com/foxjawbountyhunters

http://www.foxjawbountyhunters.co.nr

http://foxjawbountyhunters.bebo.com

http://www.myspace.com/mangaboyrecords