I like The Fez. They’re doing something, while not wholly different, that at least tries to push back genre boundaries and when you’re up against a sea of Fall Out Boy or Hawthorne Heights clones, it’s a brave move to make. Mixing in traditional rock elements with jazz, pop-punk and even some DJ-esque scratching, there are more musical influences here than fast food dinners Jade Goody has managed to munch her way through. The fat cow.
Thankfully The Fez go on to prove they’re not a jack of all trades and a master of none by releasing this little beaut of an EP that’s eclectic and clever, yet not too far up its own arse. ‘Jazz Hands‘, re-recorded with Lester from The Bombjacks at the production helm, sounds very, very good indeed, while ‘San Diego’ is varied and bursting with cool instrumentation.
I’d be lying if I said every single song here was fantastic, because they’re not. At times there’s a lack of cohesion and a few too many ideas make the song structures a little messy and incoherent. But at the same time you have to admire the fact The Fez are trying to do something different from the rest of the pack. ‘Science Friction’ goes to show that being a little different can take you a long way.
www.myspace.com/thefez
paul