Fenix TX, the favoured touring buddies of Blink 182, return with their second full-length release. If you are expecting more of the pop punk shenanigans that featured on their debut album, you are going to be in for a very big shock. For some unknown reason Fenix have decided to dabble in the evil arts of metal. But that wasn’t enough for them, so they decided to throw in some emo-styled tunes as well. So now join me as I take a trip through the disappointing musical journey that is Lechuza.
The opening song gives little indication of the mess that is to follow. In fact ‘Phoebe Cates’ is one of the best punk songs that the band have produced, echoing the style of the first album. The next effort,’ Katie W’, slows things down a little, but is still trademark Fenix. ‘Threesome’ injects some more pace into the proceedings with a tune that is about…well if you don’t know by now you should ask your mum! After the first three songs you would think the album was going to be a strong one.
However, once ‘Something Bad is Gonna Happen’ reaches your brain it becomes apparent that this album is vastly different to their debut. The song is a lot heavier than you would expect from Fenix, but it is not a particularly poor tune, and it is by no means the heaviest song on the album. ‘Pasture of Muppets’, ‘Manufactured Inspirato’ and ‘Beating a Dead Horse’, on the other hand, are nothing more than second rate rock/metal songs and they deserve no place on a Fenix album.
‘Tearjerker’ and ‘El Borracho’, by complete contrast are the mellowest songs the band has produced. Again though, they don’t suit the band, and after the comedy of the first album it is difficult to believe in the more heartfelt lyrics. The only good songs from the remaining batch are ‘A Song For Everyone’ and ‘Abba Zabba’. Both are poppy efforts that unfortunately are too few on this release. Five good songs from a total of eleven do not a good album make. And the biggest criticism I can lay at Fenix is that, after a couple of listens, you will only want to listen to the five songs I have mentioned.
It appears that by attempting to step out of the shadow of Blink, Fenix TX have created a hybrid monster of an album, not sure what musical direction they want to take. The new metal and emo styles do not suit the band. However, they are still capable of producing quality pop punk tunes. It is just a shame that there are very few of them on Lechuza. By attempting to do something completely different the band risk alienating the very fan base that has got then to where they are today. At the end of the day Lechuza is nothing more than average, and, following the promise of their first album, that will be a huge disappointment to a lot of people.
Mark