Fox jaw bounty hunters

Fox Jaw Bounty Hunters

Congress of Oddities

Angela Macari O’Looney

From Limerick City, this uniquely entertaining band have emerged, capturing the attention of music critics and gathering a large fan base throughout Ireland.
With their strange but fabulous Rock/Punk/Blues sound, they have caused quite a stir and this E.P. is dark, ghoulish and hair raising. However, there’s no denying the musicianship and awe inspiring talent, that is hidden in the depths of each memorable dirge and after a couple of listens, you begin to really enjoy the six tracks.

Members of FJBH are Ronan Mitchell-Vocals/Piano/Guitar/Banjo, Morgan Nolan-Vocals/Guitar/Bass and Shane Serrano- Drums/Vocals/Clarinet.
Congress of Oddities is the band’s second E.P., released in ’09. Their debut self-titled E.P. received momentous critical acclaim and they have gigged extensively across Ireland, Germany and America since their formation in 2006.

A piano intro in choppy style opens up the first track; Walking with the dead. Discords are used to give it creepiness and it explodes into a grunge soaked blast of guitars. Spine- chilling, distortion-packed chords and an Adams family- style riff throughout add to the morbid melody line.

Ronan’s vocals take on a Zombie tone, as he sings the lyrics in a deep bass. A key change before each chorus lends dynamic and a riveting drum break also gives socks to this masterful composition.

The guitar solo is elaborate, sounding like the wailing of a banshee at times and the way the pace alternates just before the final chorus, is yet another change that adds to the charm of this imaginative number. Not for the faintheared!

Homeward bound and gagged is a bluegrass type song. The beat alternates, with a stop start effect that is catchy. This track involves a trickling banjo and the lads all seem to be singing on it, with quite effective harmony coming through.

Cornelius T. Ampersand

A wonderful carnival-style intro and excellent chord combinations and lead guitar are for me the highlight of this song. From a sweet three four tempo, with the vocals deep, it suddenly turns into a bashing crescendo of drums, glaring defunct guitars and ear splitting vocals. But it returns to the lovely trickling guitar again. The complex notation, disconcerting changes and strange happenings make this number more of a rhapsody than just a song.

Firefly
A three four tempo accompanies Ronan’s mournful verse for this song. Backing vocals lend depth to the chorus. This track is short and very memorable, with minor chords used throughout. This seems to be a key ingredient in FJBH’s songs. My only criticism is that they put this track next to Cornelius T. Ampersand. The two three four tempos so close together make them sound very samey. However, this is only a minor glitch. I like both tracks immensely!

Care to play?

This song begins with a weird, out of tune piano intro. I adore the way it then bursts into life, with revving, heavy guitar chords. Harmony is brilliant, with a sense of drama in the melody line. Vocals are dreary, but delicious. A quiet guitar break comes along, with haunting ahs contradicting the earlier grunginess.
Suddenly, in comes an explosive, distortion-packed chorus, with a surprising array of minor to major chord combinations and a sense of hope in it, the choral style vocals amazing.
It returns to the morose minors, bending guitar notes and dramatic mood from earlier, winding down this way.

Darker Shade of Blue

Ronan performs the verse of this bonus track with passion. With a trickling guitar accompaniment, it’s a mournful number with delicious harmony in the chorus. His vocal ability is demonstrated, when he goes from bass notes right up to a falsetto. The sound gradually builds up, till soon you hear bashing drums and guitars, filled with drama and vitality.
It returns to the laid back mood for a while. But after the sorrowful chorus it becomes crazy again, with a powerful blast of drums and guitars. This is an excellent finish to the E.P. , where all the stops are pulled out.

I find this band impressive and extremely entertaining, but I would like to hear them doing an occasional upbeat song, to break the dowdy atmosphere that’s constant in each song. A clown smiles out from the cover of the CD, but he seems to be the only cheerful thing about it.

The three lads are planning their debut album for 2011, which is sure to be as successful as this and their debut E.P. and hopefully they’ll include one or two songs with a happier mood in them. Fox Jaw Bounty Hunters have had regular airplay on top radio stations and seem like an unstoppable force and I look forward to seeing them live, when they are in Dublin.