Releasing their debut album My Guess this week Thought-Fox are not a band built on a big blustery wave of noise, but one that favours asides and confidences, syllabic invention, and daring intervallic leaps, with a control at low volumes that can translate to a bigger effect. They’re that bit different. Simon Roth on drums sculpts an alternative direction with a growing sense of unforced momentum as the album develops, and by ‘Worm of Thought’ (inspired by The Waste Land) when the album gains a free improv impetus, both he and the voice of Lauren Kinsella (the main distinguishing feature of the band), have clearly found common ground, a sort of “peace of mind” as the lyric to the title track later has it as the singer’s ambition increases and the direction of the music becomes less mannered. ‘Malin’s Chai’, the best melody by far and most involved band interplay, ‘Celia’, and title track ‘My Guess’ then build on the promise shown first in ‘Worm of Thought’. It’s a tantalising prospect all in all. Catch the band at the Vortex in London on Wednesday. MB
Tickets www.vortexjazz.co.uk