Heatstroke Records
2005
Hesitation Eyes
About This Album
The Big Star/Lemonheads references are likely to continue on Foxymorons' third release. Four years after the duo's well-received Rodeo City album, Hesitation Eyes continues in the indie pop vein they excel at. The multi-talented twosome of David Dewese and Jerry James plays all the instruments except for occasional drums, but the album doesn't feel excessively overdubbed, even though it was created by mailing the tunes between the members. Neither musician is given credit for any particular sound or even vocal, but that just adds to the group's mystique. Regardless, this is a subtle gem, filled with lovely, easygoing tunes that never pander to lowest common denominator hooks. This lets the songs breathe with an airy yet compressed heartbeat. Echoes of the Beach Boys (especially on the breezy "The Lazy Librarian's Son"), the Velvet Underground's third album, and Jonathan Richman's offbeat childish innocence pervade the project, even while the group forges its distinctive sound. Banjo, stun-guitar, simplistic keyboards and sunshiny harmonies float between the notes, often obscuring the witty and offbeat words. But after a few listens, the generally deadpan vocals and even-tempered melodies make it easy to latch on to the duo's concept of obscuring the lyrics' darker characteristics under lighthearted but never simplistic melodies.
Track List (try tracks 1,2,4,7 and 9)

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