San Francisco’s The Stone Foxes play the kind of fuzzed-up, retro garage rock that’s been keeping Jack White in fancy hats and anti-smile serum for the last fifteen years. In other words, they sound pretty much exactly the way you’d expect a band called ‘The Stone Foxes’ to sound.
‘Twelve Spells’, their fourth record, is an accomplished example of the genre, but brings little of note to the table. Vintage microphones crackle, guitars buzz rather than roar, and hammond organs squeal, and die-hard fans of the genre will no doubt find plenty to love here. It’s a collection of very well-constructed, equally well-played songs by a band whose lives were clearly changed forever the first time they heard a White Stripes album.
It could be argued that this goes with the territory – in a genre which revels in overdriven nostalgia, experimentation and progress take a band inherently away from the core of what they do. The problem with that position is the proximity of this release to that of Alabama Shakes’ 2015 masterpiece, ‘Sound & Colour’, which showed how a band can remain true to the roots of this genre while still evolving and developing their own unique sound.
The vocals are undeniably soulful and there’s a party-starting stomp to tracks like lead single, ‘Dying Star’ which make The Stone Foxes worth investigating for fans of bands like The Black Keys and the aforementioned Alabama Shakes. There’s just a distinct lack of innovation – which may, of course, be part of the appeal.
ROB BARBOUR