Review: Josh Fix "This Town Is Starting To Make Me Angry" [EP]

Hot off the heels of his terrific LP, "Free At Last", which earned a rare perfect score here at BMF (review here), Josh Fix is back already with a new 5-track EP. "This Town Is Starting To Make Me Angry" is an all-too-brief musical meditation on our sorry tendencies to persist in wanting trivial things while a hurricane of poverty and suffering devastates the rest of the world.

Not that you'd easily pick that up in these wonderfully catchy and perky melodies and robust harmonies. Unbelievably, Fix is once again playing all the instruments and doing the vocal duties, leaving me in awe of this guy's talent. With this latest EP, Fix solidifies his righteous position to be this generation's Elton John/Billy Joel.

Nearly every track on "This Town Is Starting To Make Me Angry" shines with brilliance and it just seems to get better as it goes. "Dirty Bloody Naked" is a classic Fix groove, with crisp electric guitar accentuating the jingly piano on this melodious gem. The instantly infectious "Ghosts In Your Head" is my favorite of the bunch. I had a surprising affection for his more low key number, "Dear Lord", a bare bones acoustic ditty with deeply introspective lyrics. "Barely Insane" has a mild disco flavor, bringing potent hints of E.L.O. to mind - it is another fun and rewarding treat for the ears. The only track that I felt a little ho-hum was the title track.

Just enough to whet your appetite, the EP will leave you salivating for his next full-length release, which we hope is not far away. We need another Fix already!

iPOD-worthy: 2, 3, 4, 5

Josh Fix on MySpace. Official site.

Review: Josh Fix "Free At Last"

The package arrived with a return address of "Flop of the Year". With such a ringing endorsement, I couldn't wait to hear this CD by the modest Josh Fix.

"Free At Last" is certainly no flop; on the contrary, it is one of the best CDs I have heard all year. How can something that sounds this unbelievably good be accomplished by an indie artist, who pretty much plays everything and sings every note on the record? "Free At Last" is a monumental achievement, something you'd expect from the most seasoned of artists.

The grand and sweeping musical style with piano front and center will appeal to fans of Gavin DeGraw, Melêe, and Ben Folds. The complexity in the arrangements of these tunes is mesmerizing, yet his pop sensibilities keep everything catchy and memorable - very much like New Radicals. His voice is fantastic, with harmony vocals evoking Queen, Jellyfish, and ELO. Lyrically it doesn't get much better, as Josh Fix brilliantly balances poetry with satire. There is virtually nothing about "Free At Last" that doesn't work.

The party begins with the upbeat opener about the daily grind, "Don't Call Me in the Morning", which will enable you to smile and take it all in stride. "Whiskey & Speed" is an addictive track, and "Rock and Roll Slut" is destined to become the next great wedding song. Like the title track, "Burn It Down" and "Tiger on a Treadmill" continue to cast a fresh look on the every day circumstances that constitute our lives. Josh Fix sets a new bar for Ben Folds with his hilarious and biting critique of no-talents hacks, "Bad with the Superbad". He proves he's no one-trick piano pony with the acoustic guitar-driven title track and "What's the Point", the latter of which features a line all of us guys can relate to: "I know I'll find a way to screw things up with you".

Remarkably, Josh Fix performs all "vocals, bass, acoustic/electric guitars, Hammond B3, keyboards, loops & computer programming, percussion, arrangements & Eno-isms, more vocals, an antique Emerson upright piano, miscellany", while Andy Korn takes care of the drums. To call him an overachiever is an understatement. End the insanity and help bring justice to the world by buying this CD today and helping to spread the word. Make the music of Josh Fix a permanent fixture in your house.

iPOD-worthy: ALL TRACKS!

Josh Fix on MySpace. Official site.