Ooo, ah push it! Push it, pusher! I love the arcade-ey rhythm of Wax Fang's songs, and Scott Carney's ability to turn a somewhat grungy voice into some high-volume vocals, injected with goofy echoes that try to mask the fact that he's an expert singer. You know this guy is deep and professional; at the same time, he and his collaborators don't take themselves too seriously. And by that way, Wax Fang's music turns out well balanced and generally pleasant to have a listening session. It's absurd, isn't it? If you just practiced being more yourself, then you'd probably have fun like him, and really find your stride in life... So what is he fighting for? It's the end of everything, so just have some fucking fun!
How would I describe Wax Fang's more low moments; transition to highs; and the balance in-between? Generally, some parts of each song, and entire album, feel a little forced and not as fun. Some sort of combination of boring guitar riffs, lyrics that sound like platitudes, and lots of repetition disengage me. Maybe I'm not convinced he's always having fun during these songs, which is Okay. That's when he gathers the listeners back with: "COME ON EVERYBODY LETS GET READY TO GO, 'CAUSE WE'RE GOING TO A MOTHER FUCKING ROCK AND ROLL SHOW." Stupendous. Or his analogy of an exponentially decreasing-to-zero function to the meaning of life. Brilliant! Or his redemption of the tired guitar riffs to more funky electronic guitars that take you into back into psychedelic-space! Maybe it's just the tempo changes that keep me hooked. Maybe it's the multi-phased psycho-sinusoidal frequency waves causing my hormones to go haywire.
Victory Laps is like riding a roller coaster of emotions when you focus on just one dimension of the each song. When the lyrics suck, hopefully they're made up for in the vocals or the diversity of instruments. When another factor is falling behind, another picks up. When all factors are firing in harmony, it's pure serendipity. If the listener's hormone balance is opposite of mine, hopefully they can also enjoy it for their own interpretation of highs and lows. That's how dynamic this album is.
Don't call this a concept album. But if it were a concept album, I think it's aiming to represent the infinite dimensions that life can take the form of of wanting, achieving, failing, and that's what makes me want to puke 5 out of 5 times for this album. I enjoy listening to Wax Fang regularly, and I hope you find this album a part of your regular consumption patterns.
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