No Landing Plan
Fuzzy Vox
Fuzzy Vox Facebook Page
The second album from French power pop trio, Fuzzy Vox, No Landing Plan, is an upbeat collection
of songs combining the best attributes of melodic power pop and hard-edged
garage rock. The band travels out of their comfort zone into social commentary
and psych-pop on a few of the tracks, without sacrificing the infectious beat.
Fuzzy Vox formed in 2011 in Joinville Le
Pont, France, on the outskirts of Paris. The band released a few EPs before releasing
2014’s On Heat, their debut album.
Singer Hugo Fabri has the vocal chops to veer from melodic
powerpop to raunchy garage rock with no detectable accent. And he supplies the
album’s brisk, no-frills guitar work and keyboards. Drummer Nico Maia and
bassist Gregoire Dessons form a sturdy musical backbeat, keeping the album’s
groove consistent.
For No Landing Plan,
the band ventured to California to record, enlisting producers Ryan Castle,
who’s worked with Snow Patrol, Black Sabbath, Billy Idol, ZZ Top, etc., and Andy
Brohard (Wolfmother, Tegan and Sara, the Hives). The songs were mastered by
Howie Weinberg, who has worked with Nirvana, the Ramones, Herbie Hancock, and
other legendary artists. The ace recording team renders the band’s well-crafted
songs into crisp, infectious tracks for maximum danceability.
“Explosion of Love” kicks off the album with an infectious
beat designed to make you move. The frenetic rhythm of “Distracted” is great
for pogoing or frugging, a ‘60s garage rock revival that channels the Sonics. “Told
You Before” with its out-of-kilter energy and gritty vocals, has that
unapologetic brashness of mid-60s Kinks’ and Who. “Raw Evil” starts out a bit
like Elvis Costello, then segues into heavier garage rock. “Bo Diddley” pays
tribute to one of the architects of rock ‘n’ roll with its frenetic beat. (The
band’s featured a window-rattling version of Jerry Lee Lewis’ “Great Balls of
Fire” on their Technicolor EP.)
“Don’t Leave Me Behind”
is bouncy, skinny-tie power pop to the nth power, and “I Got a Girl” draws from
Plimsouls influences with a wilder pace.
The band proves they’re not afraid to tackle serious
subjects in “They Shot Charlie”, about the Charlie Hebdo terrorist attack. The
tone picks up again with the bouncy “Easy
Street”. The album’s last track "A Reason to Love" is lush, psych-pop with a guitar theme
out of a TV western. A spoken word interlude near the end fades out with
some distorted guitar, making it the album's most ambitious track.
Pure, high energy songs, tight playing and production, and a
groovy ‘60s era comic book album cover make Fuzzy Vox’s No Landing Plan a 30 minute
joyride for fans of fun, unpretentious rock
‘n’ roll.
