The Foxymorons are a duo of childhood friends hailing originally from Mesquite, Texas. Their first two albums established their love of classic pop and the alt-country sounds of the mid-90s, but the trail went cold after 2001's Rodeo City as David Dewese and Jerry James worked on other things in separate parts of the country. Hesitation Eyes is their long-time-coming third LP, recorded via the ever-popular tapes-through-the-mail technique. Strangely, it's also their highest-fi record yet.
Dewese and James alternate lead vocals, switching off every other song for most of the record. One of them-- they never specify who sings on what-- has a powerful, dusky croon, while the other gets by with a cranky indie rock croak. The two sound best, though, in two-part harmony, especially on the title track, which closes the album with a blast of glorious falsetto power-pop, tambourine filling in the backbeat amid thumping toms and descending guitar chords that read like a tour of Cheap Trick's greatest hits. The band takes a similar approach on "Just Because", which rightfully should be the album opener, but is instead slotted behind "Harvard Hands", a song that's too slow and uneventful for track one billing.
Sequencing errors aside, the record is characterized by strong songcraft and a few nicely chosen sonic flourishes, such as the e-bowed lead guitar on "Everything Changes" or the weird, spacey noises that open "I'm Still in Love" in a universe somewhere parallel to the minimal piano and drum shuffle of the song itself. As such, Hesitation Eyes is a sturdy album, a slightly more sophisticated update of the band's past output, and an indication that even with a non-traditional working relationship, the duo still has room to grow.
