Reviews of Foxes & Hounds

The Underrated Blog

"A clever little record that croons and swoons in the sweetest of ways."

See You In The Pit

"The Sharp Things are melodic and mellow, but not boring — more sassy Sunday brunch at a hip local eatery than a dreary, slow, and rainy afternoon trapped at a an outlet of behemoth chain of coffee houses which shall remain unnamed."

NewsOK.com

""Foxes and Hounds" is a magnificent battle between the musically sweet and the lyrically sour, and the Sharp Things are indeed sharp -- a serrated carving knife swaddled in velvet."

Dagger

"A marvelous record with songs swooping and soaring all over the place"

Mystery and Misery

"Marvin Gaye would have killed for a song like that."

Chromewaves.net [Canada]

"A sprawling throwback of an album...Great Sunday listening!"

Silent Uproar

"Their music suggests they would feel just as comfortable in the concert hall as they would on college radio...a breath of fresh air in a music scene overcrowded with cookie cutter artistry."

Working For The Clampdown (UK)

"'There Will Be Violins' is one of those great album openers that's about the album itself...It's a statement of intent, and the intent is: this is not just another boring band with guitars."

The Mag (UK)

"The Sharp Things are an art gallery; full of beautiful things that have a deeper meaning for those willing to put in the effort to find out what stories lay behind the etchings."

Pucknation

"A lush throwback album, with great music, interesting vocals and well written lyrics."

Collected Sounds

"Music that can take you away is a pretty great thing."

Beta [Singapore]

"'There Will Be Violins' is a stunning opener, and 'The Most Dangerous Man in the Living Room' shimmers with a devastating wit."

Indie-Music.com

"Catchy and lyrically well-written, telling tales of revelation, broken hearts, and ennui."

Aeki Tuesday

"Orchestral pop did not die after Belle and Sebastian's Dear Catastrophe Waitress, it merely took a short vacation where bands such as The Sharp Things could polish and shine."

Splendid Magazine

"Foxes and Hounds is a big, big record...I'm sure that The Sharp Things' talent and craft will win you over as effectively as they did me."

Earvolution [INTERVIEW]

"It's much like having children..we were fearful; we didn't know what we were doing. We didn't know how to feed this kid."

CD Reviews

"It's textbook chamber pop: smart, catchy, and stately, an even spattering of rock and roll vigor and classical bombast."

Cool Noise (UK)

"Very intelligent lyrically and musically...'50 Heads Over High Street' is probably the best track I've heard them do."

The Deli [INTERVIEW]

"If the women are foxes, then the men are...hounds?"

Whisperin and Hollerin (Ireland)

"A beautifully-conceived album written with skill and imagination and executed with considerable aplomb. With Foxes and Hounds The Sharp Things are surely in the hunt."

Freeway Jam

"Strings, french horn, melodic bass, snare drums, guitar, and Serpa's rich expressive voice come together in a grand orchestral sweep that's instantly accessable and catchy"

The Spill Magazine (Canada)

"His melodies are classic, unfettered lumps of yum, his arrangements seemed plucked from a different era and on the whole, Serpa and his NYC-based orchestral pop outfit the Sharp Things have a wonderfully timeless quality to them."

Shake Your Fist

"I can't decide if I kinda love this or kinda loathe it."

musicOMH (UK)

"The orchestration suits the songs beautifully...Serpa's lyrics are literate, witty and touching in equal measure...One of the best listens of the year!"

Adrian's Album Reviews (UK)

"In the four years I've been doing this site, nothing sent through to me has struck me quite as hard as the opening track on this CD."

Blogcritics.org

"Literate rock served up with strolling orchestral flourishes that recall the days when AM radio was dominated by the Brill Building and Bacharach and David."

High Bias

"Perry Serpa's tunes draw as much from the low-key soul of the 70s as the psychedelic whimsy of the 60s and the poetic craftspersonship of every era."

Music Underwater

"I haven't heard anything like this come out of music since the 70's."

Flaunt

"The strings soar and the heart aches in equal measure"

Opus

"["The Suicide Bombers" is] soulful and funky enough to make Barry White smile down from heaven."

Tiny Mix Tapes

"In this day and age, an ensemble that understands the concept of "class" is a rare commodity."

Harp [FEATURE]

"The Sharp Things carve a blissful take on chamber pop"

The Big Takeover

"Delightful! Charming! Splendid!"

TheBullhorn.net [INTERVIEW]

"It was my original intention to record 28 songs for this record. But that was met with, shall we say, extreme opposition. I will admit I was insane at the time."

Music For Robots

"This is earnest, melodic, expertly arranged pop music of the highest quality."

Under The Radar

"Fourteen songs of string, piano, and horn brilliance."