Artist Interview: FOX Japan
Posted: May 27th, 2009 | Author: Jon | Filed under: Artist Interviews | No Comments »
Interview by Jon Sebastian.
FOX Japan is an indie rock band from West Virginia. The first record I heard of theirs (And Now This!) reminded me what it really means for music to be infectious. A week after hearing it, I literally had trouble getting to sleep because I had the chorus to A Nursing Home stuck in my head on infinite repeat. Or was it the verse? Or was it the pre-chorus?
See, that’s one of their tricks. Upon first listen, it’s hard to tell whether you’re hearing a verse or a chorus or a pre-chorus, because what you’re hearing in every case is too damn catchy and big to be anything other than the chorus. It has to be the chorus. But then the REAL chorus kicks in, and you can’t believe they’ve topped themselves in the same song, but they just did.
Most bands who stumble across hooks this good handle them with forceps, place them carefully into track 2 or 3 or whatever their single is going to be, and post a huge flashing neon sign nearby that says BIG CHORUS RIGHT HERE!!
FOX Japan uses the same hooks so liberally and so nonchalantly, they make it look easy. Like they have a tree in their backyard that grows hooks. They’ve been here before, and they act like it. They didn’t happen to stumble upon them, they’re not strangers to them, and they didn’t crap their pants when they found them - it’s just what they do.
I recently interviewed lead singer Charlie Wilmoth via email.
As a songwriter, what are your biggest influences music-wise?
I think our instrumental style owes a little to the Pixies and Pavement. Also, for our first couple of records I was interested in the idea of writing these really jagged, nervous, topical pop songs like Devo did–”An Investigative Sentence” is probably the best example. I think after that we got a little more comfortable stretching things out.
Also, hip-hop has been a really big influence on the way I write lyrics. I tend to like lyrics that are very specific and direct, and am probably more willing than most rock lyricists to cram lots of syllables into each line, the way an MC does. All four of us were really into the Dismemberment Plan as kids, and I think we liked that they were an indie rock band who said what they meant (often with tons of words, like us) and tried to integrate lots of styles besides rock into their music. That last part sounds obvious now, in 2009, but there was a time in the 1990s and early ’00s when indie rock mostly seemed to be talking to itself.