Josh Fix is a San Franciscan multi-instrumentalist whose sound is that of piano-driven rock/pop and can be likened to that of Elton John, Billy Joel and Supertramp.

Fix started out as an investment banker but with music as his first love he soon found a way to write and play music. Fix would stash his sleeping bag and acoustic guitar in the filing room and hide his electric piano behind a TV in the conference room. Fix literally lived in the office, banking by day and writing songs at night.

Not until he proved himself at live slots supporting The Who and Super Furry Animals did people begin to talk about Fix, the pop-rock prodigy. When his demos went around amongst the rock elite he got calls from Lenny Kravitz and Van Halen and only then did he think he should take his music seriously.

This mini album, This Town Is Starting To Make Me Angry, has five alterna-piano-pop tracks performed entirely by Fix. This is his debut release outside of the USA and is thought to be the perfect introduction to the UK and European audiences.

‘This Town Is Starting To Make Me Angry’ opens with upbeat piano chords and scratchy, distorted vocals from Fix which remind me a little of an Elton John record. It’s certainly a good introduction to this mini album as it has a catchy chorus.

A little harsher sounding is ‘Dirty Bloody Naked’. The guitar bellows out in true rock style, which is accompanied by the lighter notes of the piano. Fix’s vocals are much clearer on this track as there is no distortion and this sounds good.

‘Ghosts In Your Head’ starts with an urgent sounding guitar then a heavy, upbeat drumbeat kicks in alongside the piano. The beat and rhythm are fast and catchy with harmonies throughout. This is reminiscent of an Elton John track and also quite Beatle-esque sounding but this is just Fix’s mark on his songs. I particularly like the guitar riff in the middle of this track, which then filters out to the soft tones of the piano.

Much softer and slower is ‘Dear Lord’. Played on the acoustic guitar this has a rawness about it that I love. Fix has stripped this track to the roots, which is quite apt for the lyrics when he sings about the Lord having bigger things to take care of. The emotion in Fix’s voice shows his love and passion for music.

‘Barely Insane’ is brighter and I love the beat on this, it’s what I would call a ‘happy clappy’ song. The vocals and guitar riff are, as you would expect, faultless and I just really like the happy feel to this track.

There is a mix of influences on this album from The Beatles, Queen and Elton John and although you can hear similarities of these musicians to Fix’s music it is all very original. Truly brilliant.

9

Helena Rea