Noxious Foxes: Epochalypso (Broth IRA, 6/4/13)
Instrumental math-rock twosome Noxious Foxes is back, and it’s brought another installment of winding, aggressive riffs (via guitar and synths) and breakneck beats with Epochalypso. Once again, the “loop-based riffs/power duo” has put together a record that, like the cover art, seems to break apart and reform in polyrhythmic piles every few seconds. If it’s possible, Epochalypso seems even busier than its predecessor,Légs — particularly in the first few tracks, where rhythms and noises tend to intersect at intervals that wholly reject conventional timekeeping.
And beyond the band’s dizzying chops and melodic/rhythmic prowess, listeners should note its talent in free-associating nonsensical portmanteaus for album and song titles. Between one-liners like “Motöcroissant” (umlaut required) and complex chains like “The Boy George Michael Jackson Browne Note,” the duo has a true gift for stringing sounds and concepts together to create batshit-insane / brilliant combinations.