Carl Fox

2nd favourite song on the Week 285 podcast featuring artists such as: The Sleeping Bag – Slime, Carl Fox – The Key, The Bright Light Social Hour – Shanty, Rachael Yamagata – Starlight, Jack White – Love is Blindness (U2 Cover), Gary Clark Jr – Bright Lights, The Nghiems – Dum Dum Dah Dah, Feist – The Bad in Each Other, Priory – Kings of Troy, Black Light Dinner Party – Small Boxes, Jonathan Coulton – Good Morning Tucson, Ben Folds Five – House, James Apollo – Happiness, Radical Face – Ghost Towns, Josh Rouse & The Long Vacations – Movin’ On, We Were Promised Jetpacks – Act on Impulse - All Things Next

"Carl Fox may not be a household name in America, but he’s an established indie darling of the Perth, Australia music scene. He’s the charismatic lead singer of dance-friendly indie-pop band Good Little Fox, and in 2010 released his independently-released solo debut, Chunky Rainbow, on iTunes. Heavily influenced by the time he spent in Switzerland, Chunky Rainbow is a collection of minimalistic yet texturally luscious electronic pop that is easy on the ears..." - MYSPOONFUL BLOG

It is difficult not to like Carl Fox. The vocalist and guitarist of Perth’s indie-pop band, Good Little Fox, has released a debut solo album Chunky Rainbow, a delightful mishmash of fantasy-infused pop and melancholic electro melodies which is bound to stimulate the tastebuds of any of indietronica fan.

First track Perfect Purple is an unusual combination of Fox’s whispering vocals, a psychedelic electric beat and what one can presume to be the firey, dark tune of an electric keyboard. This raw, imposing keyboard sounds like a synthesised, upbeat electro version of the Jaws theme tune. Easy on the ears, its kaleidoscopic and magical undertones are reminiscent of Charlie the Unicorn.

The repetitive lyrics uttered by a female vocalist and odd tempo in the third tune Before The Party Started are a refreshing change from the predictable electric beat that underscores this track. The accompaniment of what appears to be a violin towards the end of the song gives it an interesting and unexpected conclusion.

The lullabyish Sunny Day is quite literally the feeling of falling asleep or lying in the sun transformed into a xylophonic synthesis of kooky electronic sounds combined with soft vocal harmonies and soothing disco jockying. The song’s minimalist, unpretentious sound feels like calm vulnerability making it an exquisite tune to listen to.

The Key is a fast-paced mix of drumbeats, echoes of Fox’s vocals and dark electronic-pop. It calls for the creation of dance shapes on the dance floor. Its climactic buildup and catchy riffs would have Friendly Fires’ frontman Ed Mac in awe.

The distant vocals in Peanuts are beautifully delivered, however, the ambient electronic beat is perhaps too overwhelming for all that Fox’s voice has to offer. Placing Toys next on the track list works well, given the subdued ending of Peanuts and fluid sounding Toys. Although creatively uninteresting, it is the one of two songs on the album which have no vocals or lyrics and the cute electric mixups aren’t anything to rave about.

Fox begins MTML with the words “…and I want to be found”. His gentle and objective delivery compared with the track’s confronting lyrics “Kill a person, wash a dish,” uttered almost without emotion make for an ironic twist and keep the ears pricked with curiosity.

Title track, Chunky Rainbow is a straight-forward, upbeat mishmash of quirky electro beats and honest lyrics. Initially thinking an attempt at yet another girl/guy relationship analysis song was to be the next three minutes, a pleasant surprise awaited. It is easy to see why Triple J have been all over it. Not only can people relate to the lyrics but the unconventional harmonies by Fox and the female vocalist can easily make for a subconscious addiction which will have you humming for hours after hearing it.

Don’t Run’s ancient-radio sounding vocals and alarm-like sounds give the tune a magical tweak but the overwhelmingly repetitive beat and words “It’s time not to run” combined with a continuous whispy sci-fi soundtrack underscoring is likely to make this the last song played on a road-trip.

Fox’ rough, Australian accent shines in Blood on Blood, an unpredictable dance-the-night-away tune. The differing electric beats, constant changes in instrumental tones and raw melodies makes this track without doubt the highlight of the album.

Ironically titled First Song and placed as final track on the album, eardrums are greeted with a mash of indie pop. First Song is more instrumentally complicated than the indie-ambience associated with Toys. It doesn’t impose on the cochlear and isn’t screaming for creative recognition. This may well be what Fox himself wanted to achieve; an album unpretentious in delivery, yet exciting and utterly original. And he’s done just that.

Annabel-Mac - Fasterlouder

CD Review : Carl Fox - Chunky Rainbow
Review by KAREN MURPHY

Released earlier this year, CARL FOX‘s debut album ‘Chunky Rainbow’ brings a new kind of music to the Perth music scene and beyond. The bouncy tracks on this album sound like the studio equipment is high on radioactive waste, sprouted legs and is running around the room. Take his first single, ‘Chunky Rainbow’, which is about a guy that is in love with a girl and overanalyses everything. The song’s fast rhythms and coiling melodies give it a fun, lively feeling that makes you believe that everything will be okay in the end.

The album on a whole is very fantasy-like, using magical settings and tales of utopian dreams. The first track, ‘Perfect Purple’, for example, is about a man that finds a purple female flower that is so beautiful he becomes a flower just to be with her. When he realises that he’s stealing all her nutrients, he uproots himself and dies by her side. Using an electric stutter to mix live and electronic instruments, the sounds in this track give you a feel for the indietronica sound continued on the rest of the album.

The melancholic moments in each of these tracks are juxtaposed with fast-paced bouncy tunes that work to counter the sadness in the lyrics. The only downfall of this album is that all the music sounds a bit same-same. However, the themes compensate for this. Each song looks at a completely different fantasy which has been combined with splurges of electronica and indie-pop. And behind it all, is the raw, minimalist touch of an acoustic guitar.
- Spaceship News

CARL FOX
Chunky Rainbow

Pay heed those with a sweet-tooth Chunky Rainbow, the intriguing first album from Carl Fox, may be the most amazing sugar rush you’re going to have this year.

Best known as the frontman of Perth indie-pop band Good Little Fox, Cox’s solo excursion can be best described as a weirdly wonderful hybrid of the electriconica and twee indie-pop genres.

Written, recorded and mixed in Fox’s home studio, Chunky Rainbow reveals tales of utopian imaginings and magical places, inspired by his one-year journey through Switzerland.

Chunky Rainbow is an exceptional debut effort, bursting at the seams with pop content, delivering a collection of gorgeously fun songs full of dewy, sunlit reflection and confessional heartbreak. Cox’s tunes bounce along with a driven punch, as pop hooks rub softly against vivacious instrumental crescendos, laced with snappy beat programming and clever turns of phrase.

Pumping out songs with titles including Sunny Day, Toys, Perfect Purple and Chunky Rainbow, Cox walks the fine line between twee sensibility and annoyance. However, he keeps the cuteness from becoming cloying by humanising his subject matter in a way that is both unpretentious and self-effacing, revealing a genuine vulnerability hidden beneath his technicolor-daydream beats.

Chunky Rainbow is indie-pop at its purest – utterly listenable and endlessly sweet.

_JENNIFER PETERSON-WARD - XPRESS MAG