Faster Louder, October 17th 2005

UP ANTENNA
By wiresparrow

Acoustic pop-rock has, in recent times, become a rather oversaturated genre. It is extremely difficult for even a talented artist to raise their head and shoulders above the rest of the booming populous to make any kind of impact. Which is why Up Antenna is worth celebrating. Combining the pop sensibilities of Crowded House with observational and self-reflective lyrics, Philip Foxman is a welcome hark-back to the days where the words meant something and the melody remained in your head for days without driving you to distraction. 
Born in Sydney but based primarily in New York, Foxman has forged a career spanning from glam-pop to blues-rock and retains the ability to insert a slice of funk into his songs where appropriate.  Sleep is awash with groove and cruisey percussion techniques, combined with background vocals to make you melt into your chair. Aside from his iron grasp on the properties of melody, Foxman’s most endearing quality is his instrumental variation and experimentation. The album features bursts of violin, mandolin, samples and harmonica, as well as a variety of keyboard and guitar effects, making for a rich collection of songs which never at any time threatens to relax its grip on the listener’s attention.
Opener You’ll Never Find is reminiscent of Incubus’ Drive, from its strumming pattern through to the turntable scratches separating verse from chorus. Here, Foxman establishes the predominate mood of Up Antenna – a kind of philosophical crawling-out-from-under that toes the line between melancholic and optimistic.  In the liner notes, Foxman thanks those who helped him through ‘a very difficult time in [his] life’ and the album maintains a constant tension between darkness and hope which adds to its significance and strength. Perhaps the most poignant track on the album is Until it’s Gone. From its aching lyrics to the gorgeous simplicity of its arrangement, it packs an emotional punch and is certainly among the standout tracks. 
When I See You is the perfect example of Philip Foxman’s genre-hopping tendencies. While it is largely driven by acoustic guitar, its backbone of synthesised bass and strings would make Craig Armstrong proud and makes problematic the possibility of assigning Foxman any formal genre category. The variety of the album is impressive without seeming scattered or claustrophobic, a trap that some diverse musicians fall into. 
Up Antenna feels at times like a grieving process. It has ups and downs and certainly leaves you with the sense that you’ve just borne witness to somebody’s soul. But while the subject matter of his lyrics is clearly very close to his heart, Foxman always puts the music first. As a result, he has produced an album that is arresting in its impact but, first and foremost, features quality songs. Philip Foxman is the kind of musician you want to see succeed.