Foxes! by Foxes!

Show of hands: who thinks there should be more songs about panda bears? Especially as sung by pixie-cute British girls and — Damn! — their husbands, apparently...

Foxes!, from Brighton, England, are the band for you, if you are looking for jangly, upbeat indie tunes. With tongue firmly in cheek for several tracks, there's a lot to like on this one. I am especially impressed — and touched with nostalgia — when Foxes! bust out the Casio keyboard, like the one I had when I was eight years old.

I am not a fan of breathy, girly vocals (I prefer a Janis or Gracie), but I have to admit that lead vocalist Kayla Bell’s delivery and sweetness of tone charmed the mean out of me, especially on “The Panda Bear Song” and the insta-classic “Who Killed Rob?” which is apparently about a Hipster on a fixie who is killed in an accident. The delivery is so sincere that it might make one feel bad for the now-deceased Rob.

This is fun, springy music, so if you are ready to get out of your winter doldrums, pick this up on CD (or RDIO, like I did).

• Album: Foxes!
• Artist: Foxes!
• Label: Big Salad Records
• Songs: Aisle No.3, Panda Bear Song, 6 O'Clock, Welcome to the Jivin', Oh Rosie, It's Ridiculous, Adam, Alex Badamchi, Who Killed Rob?, A Letter to a Mine, Descartes, Art Girl, Apples to Apples