Review: Koji ‘Fury’
“After making Crooked In My Mind, I spent a lot of time seeing bands like Guided By Voices, Superchunk, Built to Spill, and others who were important to me when I was a teenager,” Koji says. “Those shows reminded me of what was so exciting about discovering new sounds, jamming real loud in our parents basements and was the spark for the full band sound we crafted on my latest EP: Fury.”
That kind of back to basics approach is a recurrent theme on ‘Fury,’ and, for Punk/Indie Songwriter Koji, those roots were revisited with a little help from his friends.
As the title (and opening) track, ‘Fury’ opens with a fire from the opening riff right down to the closing chord. There’s a vintage feel to the experience that recalls the early 2000’s, with shades of Adema, Smile Empty Soul and others. As an introductory track, ‘Fury’ has the right amount of punch to keep listeners interested and eager for more.
‘Breaking and Broken’ is a flat-out beautiful track. With its slower tempo, it plays like a ballad — with an edge. The guitar settings are dialed in to that sweet spot of distortion — heavy enough to be gritty but clean enough to resonate. A standout track early on.
‘Everyday’ is a bit on the shorter (and repetitive) side. Arguably the first real miss on an otherwise hit record.
As the final of four tracks, ‘Question’ is definitely redeeming. With its catchy melodies, driving rhythms, and intricate lead licks, ‘Question’ is a well-constructed wall of sound — which speaks to ‘Fury’ as a whole.
Ultimately, ‘Fury’ is a solid effort. A bit on the short side overall (clocking in at just over 12 minutes), and, (save for ‘Fury’) slow-tempo/ballad-esque throughout. As far as ballads go, Koji definitely knocks them out of the ballpark, but, for those looking for something a bit more high-energy, you’ll have to keep looking.