HANG

Foxygen’s Hang is not the album America deserves, but it’s the album it needs. In these dark days of Trumpie fascism, where simply being the wrong color or religion can get your life destroyed, you can break out your baklavas and start singing for revolution, you can ignore it and sing about puppy dogs and kitty cats, or you can respond with the only tried and true method to counter pure, unmitigated evil: silliness. In the last days of the Weimar Republic, Germans escaping the Hitlerian nightmare around them turned to the Kabaret, which offered social and political satire, music, but most of all, silliness. Very un-Prussian silliness. There was a movie about it once. You might have heard about it. “When it gets down to having to use violence, then you are playing the system’s game. The establishment will irritate you – pull your beard, flick your face – to make you fight. Because once they’ve got you violent, then they know how to handle you. The only thing they don’t know how to handle is non-violence and humor.” – John Lennon. So goes it with Jonathan Rado and Sam France’s Hang, who had no idea this album would the salve it would be in these violent times. The album starts off with Follow the Leader, a Jagger-esque romp over a Fender Rhodes piano, met with cascading strings that just seem to work. Midway a horn section accentuates the bridge with a very late 70s visualization of 20s Hollywood. Avalon continues this vibe, but ratchets it up to “eleven” by inserting an Abba-esque chorus and, yes, a tap dance solo. It is as if France showed up on the Muppet Show, slipped Kermit a hit of acid, strapped some taps to his feet and whispered in his ear “Come on Kermie…they’re all here to see yoooou! See you TAAAAAP DAAAANCE!!!” In fact, this whole album, backed with a full orchestra, seems as if it’s not the LA Philharmonic but the Muppet Show Orchestra, complete with Electric Mayhem playing. I could go on over each track. On Lankershim is the greatest song Elton John and The Eagles never wrote. Upon a Hill is pure France silliness, with him bellowing the lyrics as if he were in a Junior High musical. Yet, it’s still beautiful work. Every note. We need this. We don’t deserve it, having thrown away the republic for a poor man’s Hitler, but we need it.

More goodies from a band that understands that music can be a truly wonderful pleasurable thing. Below is a track by track mini synopsis. 1-"Follow The leader"--Has a 70's AM radio feel. Soulful sunshine. Sounds like a hit from the back of beyond. 2-"Avalon"-Sounds like "Puttin' on the Ritz" colliding with ABBA . Cleverly done. 3-Mrs. Adams" Imagine Elton John, Elvis Costello and David Bowie in a mixer and it will give you an idea of how this song works 4-"America" A friend of mine asked me if this was Jim Morrison singing a Christmas song. Ha. Well throw in 20's alcoholic fueled jazz, cinematic strokes that recall Disney and dissonant classical music, a gorgeous piano motif and you have yourself a shape shifting over the clouds type of vibe. 5-"On Lankershim"- It starts out with a hint of "Tiny Dancer" piano then quickly turns into a perfectly cut diamond early Springsteen classic. 6-" Upon A Hill"- Reminds me of Jacques Brel which is a good thing!! 7-"Trauma"- A soulful strut through Jagger land. 8-"Rise Up"- Can you say a perfectly written and executed pop song without sounding over the top? The answer is yes. It seems like Harry Nilsson and Bruce Springsteen wrote this together. So there you have it another winner from Foxygen. The orchestral touches tastefully frame the music in an understated way and the retro feel works as a homage with a modern feel. If you are looking for pop music that is fun and engaging listen up! If you want dirge like modern pop laced with self importance, well there is plenty of that stuff around. Me I like the good stuff and this stuff ranks.

Great vocals , and lots of interesting music . Mrs adams is a standout track for me .

Though I would never go so far as to compare Foxygen to The Beatles, there's certainly something Beatles-esque about Hang. While their brilliant debut record was a cheek-smack of fuzzed out psychedelia, Hang is a colorful, cartoonish acid trip that vibrates with silly energy and transmutes genres as if the band is running through a hall of mirrors. It's highly-produced, but deliberately so. It's almost Disney-like in its wild playfulness--blindingly bright, soaringly ambitious, and endlessly theatrical. One can hear "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite" fitting right in here. Each of the eight songs on Hang is a contender for the album's pinnacle. "Follow the Leader" sounds more like Foxygen's output up to now--a soulful 60's-inspired rock song complete with backup singers peppered in with a call-and-response chorus. But as soon as "Avalon" begins, you can hear something very different going on. The vaudevillian piano tinkling that gives way to what might soundtrack a circus performance is irresistibly bombastic. The two final tracks on the album, "Trauma" and "Rise Up," are arguably the the biggest spectacles, with "Trauma" swelling to an unexpected orchestral climax and "Rise Up" undulating between big and small moments throughout an exultant fireworks show of Motown-tinged arena rock. It's cirque du soleil for rascals and rogues. Hang is a truly spectacular album. It's bizarre and ostentatious and filled to the brim with hippie spirit. Here Foxygen separates themselves from their psych-rock bretheren like Unknown Mortal Orchestra and head down the path of a slightly more controlled Of Montreal, shimmering with kaleidoscopic wonder. Pick this up if you're looking for a party of a record.

You either like Foxygen or you don't. I am not a music critic, so am not going to give you my opinion on the music. This record is pressed well/centered and tracks well. It sounds great and was mastered well.

love it!

Un vodevil de canciones inspiradas en corrientes como el glam rock, foxtrot y musicales de los años setenta. La voz de Sam France cada vez se acerca más al tipo de los grandes crooners del pop y la orquesta de más de 40 músicos funciona como un perfecto marco sonoro de esta gran obra.

Foxygen, das ist das Duo Sam France und Jonathan Rado, die hierzulande bereits ihr viertes Album veröffentlichten. Es ist ein Album, mit dem ganz großen Sound. Hang wurde aufgenommen mit einem 40-köpfigen Symphonieorchester, zu dem sich noch die „Lemon Twigs“ und Steven Drozd von den „Flaming Lips“ gesellen. Los geht’s mit „Follow the Leader“, einer positiven, eingängigen Hymne, die zwar richtig Spaß macht und fesselt, gleichwohl aufgrund ihrer zahllosen stilistischen Veränderungen und dieser Wahnsinns-Instrumentierung kaum zu beschreiben ist. Mal gehen die Bläser, mal die Streicher direkt ins Ohr und stets ist die Rhythmus-Abteilung präsent. Dabei entsteht nie der Eindruck einer Reizüberflutung, nein es passt und alles klingt sehr harmonisch. Der Sound ist überschaubar und raffiniert. Es macht Spaß jeden einzelnen Song immer und immer wieder zu hören, um mehr Details herausfiltern zu können. Kaum ist der letzte Ton dieses überzeugenden Openers verklungen, geht’s mit der Zeitmaschine zurück in die Zeit der großen Revuen. „Avalon“ gibt sich zunächst sehr schunkelig, ehe die Bläser die Regie übernehmen. Der große, fast bombastische Sound beherrscht auch die weiteren Songs und lässt den Zuhörer keine Verschnaufpause. Erst im abschließenden „Rise up“ nehmen France und Rodo etwas heraus und zügeln die geballte Ladung ihres durchweg gigantischen Sounds. Ich muss lange überlegen, wann ich zuletzt so einen spannungsgeladenen, bombastischen, stets fesselnden Sound gehört habe. Sind Foxygen die Wiederauferstehung Freddy Mercurys Queen nach einer Nacht in der Oper? Mich fesselt dieser Sound und ich kann mich diesen Reizen nicht entziehen.

Effectivement les références sont évidentes mais le talent de composition mélodique est bel et bien là et l’orchestration est riche et de qualité . Cet album expérimental ne plaira pas à tous le monde et la voix du chanteur qui s’amuse à imiter Mick Jaeger ou Lou Reed ou Iggy Pop pourrait en énerver certains. Pour ma part j’ai trouvé comme beaucoup l’album brillant.

Great album, their best and most skilled one to date. The last album passed me by with its' understated production but "Hang" is the opposite. Plenty of care to detail on each song and the orchestral work makes it a Masterpiece for me. Now to the tracks. Follow The Leader is probably the most direct uncomplicated of the songs, very 70's Soul with some great brass 8/10. Avalon , love this one - has an air of a musical colliding with New Orleans Deep South jazz but the chorus is definitely Abba 9/10. Mrs Adams, more of a grower but still interesting enough to keep the interest up each play 7/10. America, when I first heard this I skipped half way through but as with all great tunes, it grows and stays with you. From 2 minutes in it has the most beautiful piano then orchestral work and the final 2 minutes, a much catchier vocal part 10/10. On Lankershim, another instant hit, more traditional sounding and a top song, 9/10. Upon A Hill, short but effective number with catchy harmonies mid song 8/10. Trauma, my least favourite, bit Samy 6/10. Rise Up, very "Mucial / Show " influenced and a nice way to end the album with some good electric lead guitar at the end 7/10. All in all, 9/10. Neil of Delta High.