Hailing from Austin, Texas, Stiletto Feels is the vessel for Geoff Earle's accomplished and eclectic take on a new permutation of alternative funk rock that should help to wash away the ridiculous spectre of Anthony Kiedis scatting currently evoked whenever those sonic signifiers are uttered in sequence.
To help realize his vision of marrying smooth synth pop, ultra-staccato glitch funk and experimental post-rock (which still paints an incomplete picture), Earle enlisted a tight collection of top-notch local players, including drummer extraordinaire and label-mate, Shmu, who also takes the lead for a tremendous robo-funk workout ("Molassacre") originally featured on his excellent Chroma Key EP.
Other highlights on this solid 12-track set include a pair of deliciously syncopated, deceptively straightforward pop songs that take on a first-person perspective to tell less than savoury tales — "Steal Your Guitar," contextualized by a voice mail message preceding the track proper, deals with the fallout of a scummy friendship, while the bolder single-in-waiting "Monster" is a cautionary confession from the type of dangerous male personality that wouldn't want his big-eared teddy bear to see how he treats the ladies he brings home.
Earle could stand to push his vocal register harder, as he proves capable of when employing a pleasing falsetto on playfully erratic album closer "Rats on a Sinking Ship," but overall, The Big Fist lands the vast majority of its punches.
(GTZ)To help realize his vision of marrying smooth synth pop, ultra-staccato glitch funk and experimental post-rock (which still paints an incomplete picture), Earle enlisted a tight collection of top-notch local players, including drummer extraordinaire and label-mate, Shmu, who also takes the lead for a tremendous robo-funk workout ("Molassacre") originally featured on his excellent Chroma Key EP.
Other highlights on this solid 12-track set include a pair of deliciously syncopated, deceptively straightforward pop songs that take on a first-person perspective to tell less than savoury tales — "Steal Your Guitar," contextualized by a voice mail message preceding the track proper, deals with the fallout of a scummy friendship, while the bolder single-in-waiting "Monster" is a cautionary confession from the type of dangerous male personality that wouldn't want his big-eared teddy bear to see how he treats the ladies he brings home.
Earle could stand to push his vocal register harder, as he proves capable of when employing a pleasing falsetto on playfully erratic album closer "Rats on a Sinking Ship," but overall, The Big Fist lands the vast majority of its punches.
