I first met
Jacob at the Cambridge Folk Festival. We were both part of The Hub Project for
folk musicians aged 18 and under (although they didn’t know I was 22 at the
time….and that I didn’t really play folk music – and listening to his new album
‘Life of a Loser Kid’ I have to say, I don’t think he does either!)
‘The Life of a Loser Kid’ is the latest album from Yorkshire musician; Jacob Fox.
And, well, it’s awesome!
It’s punky, rocky, and aggressively acoustic – and that’s just the first track.
If you need something to put on in the car while you’re tearing through the middle of town, shouting at people to get out of the way and to turn down their stupid music so you can hear your music better (and then continue to turn your music up so much that people who are walking down the street give you a look that definitely means “what a t***” – but you’re there having the time of your life head banging, wheel drumming and singing along to the repeating chorus). Well…then this is what you need!
But if that’s not enough to convince you, now’s your time to go grab a drink and sit back. Believe me. You’ll need a drink and a comfy chair.
Did I not mention this album is 18 tracks?
EIGHTEEN
That’s a
lot. And it’s a lot of writing, especially if you’re like me and love writing
about each and every song.
Right. Have you got your tea? Comfortable?
Good!
Let’s get to it.
The first
time I listened to this album, I didn’t know what to expect. I haven’t heard
any of Jacob’s music before, so didn’t know if it was going to be folk, rock,
pop, classical, J-pop – I had no idea. But the title – ‘The Life of a Loser Kid’ made me think it’s
be a bit edgy, probably acoustic. And then I had the thought it would be
recorded in his bedroom – poorly put together and a bit naff.
But I thought, what the hell. I’m about due to expand my musical interest. So I clicked play on the first track – ‘Never Take Me Alive’.
But I thought, what the hell. I’m about due to expand my musical interest. So I clicked play on the first track – ‘Never Take Me Alive’.
It starts
with nicely compressed keys. Which instantly took me back 10 years and reminded
me of ‘Glory Box’ by Portishead – and a felt a smile some on my face. Suddenly
thought – it stopped. And then an orchestra of trumpets blew my head off.
I can’t express the massive smile/shock I had on my face in that moment. It was like a James Bond movie. Or the Oscars. Then the drums came in – and it all cut out to be met with vocals.
I can’t express the massive smile/shock I had on my face in that moment. It was like a James Bond movie. Or the Oscars. Then the drums came in – and it all cut out to be met with vocals.
He’s almost
rapping. “Sticks and stones may break my
bones, but you will never take me alive”.
My brain’s a
bit confused right now. Glory Box, Oscars and rapping all within 12 seconds,
and then he almost sings a nursery rhyme.
I have no
idea what’s going on, but I love it!
After
listening to it once round, I compose myself. Wipe the grin off my face, and go
to listen to it a second time. I have to say, for a first track, this one is
bloody awesome! It’s edgy, precise, catchy, and epic.
All the
instruments are perfectly balanced and all work really well together. It’s the
standard rock mix of guitar, bass, drums and keys topped with powerful vocals
singing lyrics that get stuck in your head instantly, with some great Oooo’s
and harmonies throughout.
Then, to
complete the cycle, it finished just as it started – with beautiful sounding
keys.
Okay. So
that was track 1. I probably wrote waaaaaay too much for that song, but that’s
what happens when I start to rant. So I’ll try to keep all the other song
reviews a bit shorter, otherwise you’ll be reading this for weeks.
Track 2 is
called ‘This Home’, which is a
considerably less aggressive title than the previous one. But that doesn’t mean
anything. ‘Somebody's Gonna Get Their
Head Kicked In Tonight’ by Fleetwood Mac is a much more aggressive song
title than ‘Left Behind’ by Slipknot.
But there’s no prize for guessing which song’s actually more aggressive.
Saying that,
this one’s more relaxed than the previous one. It’s got some great grungy
guitar sounds, simple drums and some brilliant 80’s style bass synth which
really add to the song, helping push the guitar along.
All of that
mixed with vocals makes for something very special! It’s chilled out, but still
feels like a song that wouldn’t sound out of place in a stadium.
Track 3, ‘Dreaming’ is back to the loud and brash punky feel. Very punky actually – it’s sound’s a lot like Wheatus but without the feminine high voice.
I know I
haven’t mentioned the lyrics in any of the songs yet – but I really enjoy the
lyrics of this song! It’s about dreaming that he’s with a girl…of your dreams.
“When I close my eyes, I fall asleep and
dream of you. Tonight you never walked away. In the night you were so into me,
if only it wasn’t a dream.”
One bit that
sticks in my head with this song is the part just before that line. He sings “I’d be so lucky if I wasn’t
dreamiiiiiiiiiiing!” and I love the way he holds the word – screaming as if
he’s haunted by his dreams, keeping her away from his reality………
Too much?
But there’s
not much more I can say about this song. It’s only 2 ½ minutes long. But it’s
not actually the shortest song on the album – there’s a couple of others that
are even shorter. But for now, let’s move on to track 4.
‘Nothing’.
I love that
this song starts with just one acoustic guitar strum, and then explodes into a
full on country riff on electric accompanied by bass and drums.
The chorus
of this song reminds me a lot of that Taylor Swift song. Unfortunately I’m not
a fan of ‘Taytay’ (that’s right isn’t it?), so I can’t remember the song title.
To be honest, I’m kind of annoyed at myself for knowing it was one of Swifty’s
songs, so I’m glad I can’t remember the name of the song!
Personally,
I think this is a much better song! It’s got a really fun and upbeat feel to it
– mostly from the electric guitar and the vocal harmonies throughout – they
really pick it up. And considering it’s a song about feeling like you’re
worthless and, as the title says, ‘Nothing’
– it’s got a feel good vibe about it!
Of course
that’s how I see it – it might be one of those songs that has a different
meaning for different people, and by me thinking it’s about being worthless but
has an upbeat feel – does that mean I feel like I’m nothing, but I don’t care
about it, and would rather just dance around like a nutter and be happy with
life as it is? I don’t think I feel
like nothing. Although all I feel now is confusion in my own sentencing and
words make sense to no-one. Wow, I must be tired.
Ok, time to
wake up!
Next song! –
‘I’ll Be By Your Side’
This is my
kind of song – relaxed, slow, great instrumentation, catchy lyrics, and vocals
like Third Eye Blind! I think in a few more years, Jacob would have a voice
just like Stephan Jenkins. If you imagine a voice like a bottle of wine. Jacob
is currently 4-5 years in. Great taste, fruity, and a bit of a kick. But leave
it a few more years, and it’s like Stephan Jenkins – mellow, full of flavour
and goes down really easily. The same ingredients are there, but they’re more
mature.
I mean, I
don’t like wine, or know anything about it. But what I’m trying to say is – I
really like Jacob’s voice!
“So lay down next to me, because you
make everything alright, and now I can see that I’ll be by your side.”
*insert
awesome guitar solo here*
Perfect. :)
Next track!
“My girlfriend’s freaking me out. She always
follows me around. I can’t even leave the house without her trying to track me
down.”
That’s the
first line of ‘Freaky Little You’.
But the
thing is, it’s almost a modern day love song about his girlfriend going through
changes in her life – mostly about fashion choices.
It really
reminds me of Jonathan Coulton’s writing style – quirky, pop-culture and a bit
weird. But it’s the kind of song you can really enjoy listening to and sing
along!
The
instrumentation and vocals are very punky, upbeat and energetic, filled with
attitude and little details that really add to the whole song. There’s a line
with a ‘phone filter’ on, so it’s a bit more electronic sounding, and it’s used
perfectly! For just long enough and not over used.
There’s also
a couple of key changes which take it to the next level of amazing cheesiness.
Including a vocal key change to finish, along with a laugh to finish. I don’t
know if the laugh and vocal run down was intentional, but I don’t care. It was
great!
‘Movie Cliché’ is the next track –
starting with simple drums, and then joined by guitar. It’s quite a repetitive
strumming pattern, but as soon as the vocals come in it cuts out leaving drums
and bass, alongside vocals and cool laser sounds. It kinda sounds like a tube
being swung through the air, but then put through a whammy pedal. I’m sure they
must have done something similar in the original Star Wars’.
And
suddenly, it’s finished. This was one of the other shorter songs, but still,
it’s not the shortest!
What I’ve
got from this album so far is that Jacob Fox has a real talent for composing –
the music is brilliant, and the lyrics are a great accompaniment – really
unique song ideas and beautifully written.
But I now
think it’s time for another tea break.
No really,
go grab a drink. That was track number 7, so there’s 11 more to go.
I told you
it was a long album, and I said that I go on a bit, so you only have yourself
to blame.
Done?
Okay, let’s
move on to ‘Can’t Let You Go’.
This is
going back to a more relaxed, acoustic sound – which is both good and bad for
me. Good because I love acoustic music, bad because I’m tired – so I’m hoping
this doesn’t tip me over the edge and I wake up 6hrs later having used my
forehead to type
‘ffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffff….’ over
487 pages throughout the night.
Although,
the chorus of this song starts with “I
can’t get out of bed”, which is just plain inconsiderate to those of us who
can’t wait to get into bed.
Of course,
this is more because he’s drunk, and is thinking of someone special who left
him, who he can’t let go of.
This is
actually the first song of the album which is just guitar. To me it sound's like there’s a little synth in there somewhere holding the bass notes, but
I'm fairly sure it's just guitar!
‘You Chose Me’ sounds like it’s the
sequel to the previous song, about how she chose him, so why would she leave. Of
course I’m typing this before even listening to the song. So was just going
from the title – but it makes sense!
I will say,
a lot of his songs are about relationships, and I know that 90% of songs are
about relationships, 8% about money and hoes, and then 2% about death, life,
emotions, and Christmas – so it’s statistically likely that he’s write about
relationships – hypothetical or not. Although I’d be surprised if he’s had 18
songs worth of bad relationships. Because I don’t even think Miss Swift has
written as many songs as that for her apparent massive amount of failed
relationships. However, he could be writing about 1 relationship which happened
to have a lot of ups and downs.
I guess
we’ll never know.
Next up,
song number….10, is ‘Mixtape Memories’,
which starts brilliantly – bass, guitar, and vocal countdown and then in with
drums and the all-important r-ockenspiel! (That’s what I call a glockenspiel
that I imagine is played with that unbeatable rock n’ roll passion – full on
head banging and jumping around).
Just the
instrumentation alone would make an awesome chart song. It’s really catchy, but
the lyrics really add to that, and makes it one of my favourite songs so far!
Now, when I
say it’d make an awesome chart song, I mean it’s be something that people would
really enjoy listening to. Not that it’s LIKE a chart song. Because they’re
pretty dreadful – this is music, something to listen to. Not something to twerk
to.
I think the
lyrics are about him wanting to be compacted down to the size of a cassette
tape, so he can be played in a car on a mixtape….but then it’s a modern song,
and he’s young. So it’s probably more like “here’s my song, put it on your iPod
in your memories playlist”.
Right, we’re
getting through them now!
‘The End of the Road’ is next up.
Starting
with finger picked guitar, it’s got a really chilled out feel to it. Although
I’m still alert just in case the full band come crashing through.
This feels
like an encore song – something he’d play at the end of a long set, just to finish
it off. Candles in the air swaying back and forth and all that jazz.
Half way
through a synth organ joins in – but it doesn’t distract from the vocals or
beautiful guitar, and we’re now nearing the end – so I’m guessing the band has
taken a break for this song, which I appreciate. It’s breaks up the album, and
allows for a breather.
If I had to
tag one of the songs on the album as ‘beautiful’ then I’d chose this one….for
now. Of course, it could all change in the next 7 songs – which is almost the
length of a standard album left.
I admire
Jacob for putting 18 songs on 1 album, because he could’ve really easily made
two 9 song albums. It’d be more hassle, but probably more money and more
recognition for having more albums released. But he didn’t. That means you can
buy 1 album and get 2 albums worth of tracks, which is a bargain no matter
who’s album it is – but with this it’s one hell of a good deal!
Right, back
to the punk rock!!!
The
beginning of this song. My God – yes!
“Hey kids, you’re listening to Loser
Kid Radio, let’s get right into the next song. It’s Jacob Fox with ‘Just Can’t
Get it Right’ Let’s go! Wooooooaaaaaaahhhhh!”
I can
already tell I’m gonna like this song! ‘Just
Can’t Get It Right’ – well, I can say, he definitely got it right!
It’s got so
much attitude, and I love it! There’s lead guitar doing awesome solos, drums
are on point, lead and backing vocals are brilliant, all beautifully stitched
together into amazing instrumentation and lyrics to make a fun and bouncy song!
I think it’d
go alongside songs from the late 90’s/early 00’s – ‘Goodbye Mr. A’, ‘Year 3000’, ‘All Star’, ‘Stacy’s Mom’. You know,
all those cheesy songs that everyone loved and will be classics for years to
come!
‘Never See Her Again’ is up next.
This is the rockiest song so far – it’s quite heavy, but nice and simple. I’m gonna risk it by saying the music sounds a bit like Nickelback – I know, that’s not much of a compliment. But I quite like them! It’s my guilty pleasure.
Jacob’s voice is nothing like…’that dude from Nickelback’s voice, and the music isn’t as heavy as Nickelback – there’s no double bass pedals and the guitars actually in a key that’s audible, and not so deep that you can’t hear it…..so, it’s not actually that much like Nickelback.
This is the rockiest song so far – it’s quite heavy, but nice and simple. I’m gonna risk it by saying the music sounds a bit like Nickelback – I know, that’s not much of a compliment. But I quite like them! It’s my guilty pleasure.
Jacob’s voice is nothing like…’that dude from Nickelback’s voice, and the music isn’t as heavy as Nickelback – there’s no double bass pedals and the guitars actually in a key that’s audible, and not so deep that you can’t hear it…..so, it’s not actually that much like Nickelback.
“She took one look at my heart and then tore
it apart, I hope I never see her again.”
Love the instrumentation
in this one, it’s quite few and far between and stripped back – but it’s a
really nice change from some of the previous songs, which are quite full.
The next
song is ‘Lonely’.
“I don’t wanna be lonely…don’t wanna be
lonely tonight.”
This song
reminds me a lot of ‘Can’t Let You Go’
about 6 songs ago – it’s acoustic, stripped back, and about being in bed.
Although, funnily enough, this is about not wanting to be lonely!
But unlike ‘Can’t Let You Go’, this song just stays
with vocals and acoustic guitar. Which is perfect for this song. It’s all it
needs – anything more would take away from the feel and the lyrics.
It has stops
and jabs that would fit in with a full band setup, but it’d lose its innocence.
The little
riffs at the beginning and end are great – and then he strums in the main body
of the song, just to give it a little pick up.
Next up, is
something very different. Actually very different to anything else on the
album. This is still the album isn’t it??
Yeah – this is
‘Warriors Shout’. It’s all
electronic. Even the vocals have a robotic effect – and I love it!
It’s definitely
the ‘club-number’ of the album (imagine if all albums had to have a club/dance
track – that’s be hilarious! I’m just imagining all the recent releases –
Sting, Cliff Richard, Bon Jovi, Madness, Michael Buble. That would be amazing!)
Anyway, back to the song at hand. It sounds like a remix of a song, but it’s completely original…..I think. I don’t know – I don’t tend to venture into clubs. But I really enjoy dub-step and electronic music. So this sits really nicely with me – plus it’s not too invasive. It’s not blowing me head off, and remember what I said right at the beginning about this being an album to play loud in the car? Yep – this track would work beautifully for that! It’s almost an anthem, even though it’s only 2 minutes long.
Anyway, back to the song at hand. It sounds like a remix of a song, but it’s completely original…..I think. I don’t know – I don’t tend to venture into clubs. But I really enjoy dub-step and electronic music. So this sits really nicely with me – plus it’s not too invasive. It’s not blowing me head off, and remember what I said right at the beginning about this being an album to play loud in the car? Yep – this track would work beautifully for that! It’s almost an anthem, even though it’s only 2 minutes long.
“See no evil, but I saw dreams in tatters on
the floor. Hear no evil but say it all. Speak no evil but hear my roar.”
We’re
nearing the end!
….and this
is a cover.
And what an
interesting choice for a cover.
“Her name is Noelle, I had a dream
about her. She rings my bell.”
Yep – ‘Teenage Dirtbag’ by Wheatus. You know,
that band I said he sounded a bit like about 3000 words ago?
I must be
honest though – out of all the songs so far, this is by far my least favourite.
It’s a good cover – although being a drummer I immediately notice the drums are
in a bit of a weird timing (and out of time), which throws the whole song –
they sound like they’re being played by someone who no.1 doesn’t know how the
song goes, and no.2 isn’t a drummer. Which is a shame – because on all the
other songs, everything is beautifully tight, original, and make for brilliant
listening material.
This would be the song on the album that I’d always skip. It could’ve been really good – his voice is great, the guitar and bass are on point, there’s even a female vocalist towards the end.
This would be the song on the album that I’d always skip. It could’ve been really good – his voice is great, the guitar and bass are on point, there’s even a female vocalist towards the end.
But the
drums – argh! I really wanted to like this cover, so it’s a shame.
Anyway –
time to turn my frown upside down, and listen to the next track.
Okay, so
before listening to this, I wanted to make sure it wasn’t a cover, so used
trusty old Google to see if there was a song named the same thing……..
Oh, there
is.
Ah, it’s the
same song.
Okay – so this
is another cover – ‘What Happened To Your
Band’ by McBusted. You know, that band that’s made up of McFly and that
band I mentioned Jacob sounded like about 2000 words ago? (For those aged over
40, that other band is Busted. Like, that’s their name. They haven’t been
arrested. Well – they might have been. I don’t know, I don’t tend to check up
on them.)
But it’s got
me thinking – how many of his other songs (if any) are covers? It doesn’t say
in brackets ‘What Happened To Your Band
(Cover)’ so the only way I knew that was to Google the song title.
I must be
honest though – it’s not as bad as ‘Teenage
Dirtbag’!
Which is a
relief – it’s actually not too bad – I haven’t listened to the original, and I’m
not going to, I’ll stick with this version and pretend it’s his own song.
The
instrumentation is noticeably simpler than the previous songs, the vocals are
just as good as the other songs – the lyrics aren’t great – but it’s not his
song, so I’m allowed to say that!
It’s got
some great backing vocals shouting in the background, which are probably the
same as the original – but even if they are, they sound great!
Anyway – enough
covers – there’s 1 more song left!
ONE MORE!
And it’s not
a proper song, it’s an instrumental piano piece. Which really doesn’t fit in
with the last 2 songs, or the whole album really - but it’s actually quite
refreshing. Back to something original, even if it’s only 44 seconds long.
It’s called ‘To Be Continued…’ – don’t know if that’s
a nod to a possible follow on album, which is more covers, or more instrumental
– or just more!
(I hope it’s
not an album of covers….)
Anyway, I
don’t know what else to say about this track. It’s lovely. Short and sweet, and
the piano sounds very nice.
That okay?
Well – it better
be, because that’s it!
FIN.
Right, now
time for a bit of a summary!
Right, where
do I start?
Well – I haven’t
mentioned this yet because I wanted to save it until the end. When Jacob asked
me to write this review, he said “be kind
– I had to do absolutely everything myself to make this thing”
EVERYTHING.
He wrote
(apart from the 2 covers), recorded, and mixed everything on this album all by
himself. That’s unbelievable!
I didn’t
mention it before because knowing that makes everything a lot more impressive,
and also a lot more personal. If I said I didn’t think something was mixed
properly, or if the guitar sounded off – then it would be directed at Jacob.
Fortunately
for him, without the need to be kind – I can say it’s a brilliant album – all of
his originals are great – they have brilliant instrumentation, vocals, lyrics,
and are all nicely mixed!
It all
sounds extremely professional, like it’s been recorded and mixed in a studio by
a producer.
If you get a
chance to listen to this album, do it. It’ll take a while, because it’s 18
tracks (which makes it more amazing that he recorded it all and managed to mix
it all to the same level, and make it all work together as a whole!) and it’s
so worth giving it a listen.
If you get a
chance to buy this album – buy it, and then listen to it in your car at full
blast. You won’t regret it!
You can check out Jacob Fox's Facebook page HERE - make sure to give it a Like to keep up with any news!
You can check out Jacob Fox's Facebook page HERE - make sure to give it a Like to keep up with any news!
Thanks for
reading, keep tuned for the next review! If you have any recommendations of
albums I should listen to and review, let me know.
Don’t forget
to check out my website, Facebook, Twitter and Youtube below.
Catch you
next time!
Sam
www.bongoboy.co.uk
www.facebook.com/samthurlowpercussion
www.twitter.com/bongoboyuk
www.youtube.com/bongoboyuk
