Why you should give a damn: The Boxtones

The facts:

First album: In The Pockets of Clowns (2014)

Review: 3.9

Newest album: Home (late 2016)

Review: Anticipating!!

Hometown: Scotland? Canada? Earth.

Current home: Dubai

Website rating: 2 out of 5 (all of the stellar info is there, but the layout irks me!)

 

Top reasons to give a damn:

Everyone deserves a taste of this world-fusion rock. (Spotify playlist here)

The best part about following a band on social media is, often, the ability to live vicariously through their tour diaries and vlogs. If you’ve ever wanted to know what it’s like to live as a Canadian/Scottish band living in Dubai— follow their tour diaries. I’ve heard that they’ll be released every Monday and Thursday.

This blooper video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qf_jYFZCoc8

I’ve asked what exactly this blooper reel is from, and they just tell me to stay-tuned. I imagine it’s about an event that isn’t anywhere near me, but I’d still like to know if it was ever filmed without kitty-curses or line flubs.

 

This music video with what looks like a lil Chewbacca!

The reason for a 3.9 rating on In The Pockets of Clowns:

If un-produced, over-loaded, and un-edited music is a 1, and polished, soul-full, organic and fun music is a 5 (for me), then In The Pockets of Clowns would be a 3.9. My criteria is based on if I feel that it is a cohesive album, and if the post-production is used to only enhance what is there (rather than mutate one thing into something it isn’t.

One point goes to this album for it’s sheer originality. I, personally, have never heard this sort of music, and find it difficult to label it with any genre more specific than “music.” Furthermore, just watch their fucking videos! They’re stupid-good!

One point goes to this album for the aforementioned post-production which is only used to enhance what sound is there, and add some fun tweaks that are often best executed via synthesis.

One point goes to this album for the group’s fusion of sounds; it’s almost as if through their travels, they have subconsciously adopted bits of other genres. The best part if this, giving them another half point for extra credit, is that they don’t pretend that they’re some genius group which blesses the world with their knacks. They just provide good tunes.

.4 points remain, and these points are awarded due to the lyrical content of the songs.

“Can you hear me?/Or are you switched off?//These stupid love songs/Sang off the cuff.” (“After All is Said and Done”)

“And I can’t live this lie//Because your fault can’t be mine.” (“Plug Me Into You”)

This album could easily have made a solid 5, if it weren’t for the following two points:

Their website is just very blown-out, loads slowly on mobile, even though the content there is stellar. They have blogs, videos, great photos, and all of the information you’d want from a bandpage.

Second: On their Youtube page, it feels as if the videos that are there, are only a taste of the videos that they can come out with, because they refer to them all as ‘DEMO’. The videos are awesome, and so to feel like they’re holding out on us makes me a sassy fan. I understand, they’re demo songs— but they need to get under themselves (which is what I imagine is opposite of ‘get over yourself’) and place their balls against the wall, and present with us their newest, upcoming release.

Do you accept this challenge, Boxtones?

Y/N?