88 MPH: Foxtail Somersault Take A Ride On Slowdive

posted in: Features • Rock

The words Foxtail Somersault conjure up images of some fantastic creature that you’d be likely to encounter in a vivid dream. Appropriately enough, the band’s swirling, melodic music sounds like it would play in the background of that same crazy vision. Though this may sound as if the members of Foxtail Somersault love to daydream instead of play, they certainly haven’t been snoozing for the past few years. Based in San Francisco, the band gigs regularly around the Bay Area and has performed with notable indie acts such as The Rosebuds and Holly Miranda. Oh, and did we mention they’ve played at Lollapalooza as well? We told you they’re not kidding around. Foxtail Somersault has already released two EPs, Fathom in 2007 and Reflection in 2010, and is currently working on a new full-length for release later this year. While you’re waiting on what will undoubtedly be an awesome album, why not turn back the musical clock and check out some of the hugely influential bands that have helped define Foxtail Somersault’s sound?

Back in the late ’80s and early ’90s, a new trend emerged among several bands in the British indie rock scene. They would stand on stage issuing heavy waves of distortion and feedback from their guitars, all the while staring at the ground and barely moving. Rock critics derisively dubbed this genre “shoegaze,” taking an unapologetic shot at the bands’ nonexistent stage presences. Though the word was originally meant to be derogatory, it gradually became the catch-all term for bands who played in the same style. Groups like My Bloody Valentine and Ride epitomized the shoegaze aesthetic, relegating vocals to the background while turning their effect-laden guitars and feedback loops to eleven. Shoegaze bands rarely incorporated pop song structures, and their songs could be long and repetitive. Though heavy distortion was a common feature among many, some groups, like British band Slowdive, ditched the fuzz pedals for a cleaner sound.

“Divingboard,” from Foxtail Somersault’s first EP Fathom, owes much more to Slowdive’s “Celia’s Dream” (above) than the songs of other, more distorted British bands of the era. Instead of imitating the crashing, all-surrounding distortion that characterizes My Bloody Valentine’s sound, Foxtail Somersault embrace a more restrained, clean vibe. Although there is a cascading sea of reverb and overlapping guitar chords in the background, it’s actually possible to make out the lead guitar lines that float above. In another move that echoes “Celia’s Dream,” Foxtail Somersault place their beautiful vocals front and center instead of burying them beneath a mountain of guitar effects, as some shoegaze bands often do. While Foxtail Somersault owe a major debt to the British shoegaze bands of twentyyears ago, their tweaks on the classic sound prove that they are talented enough to truly make it their own. Though you might be tempted to doze off while listening to some of their more serene tracks, do not sleep on this band! Keep checking their OurStage profile and Web site for more info on their new album and upcoming gigs!