Faux Fox

Faux Fox's latest, All That Remains, will make you want to fashion some sort of bizarre shrine to Gary Numan, Depeche Mode, irony and tight pants using decoupage and fake fur. It'll make you want to fuck around on your SK-1 and record brazenly self-indulgent lyrics in your bedroom while simultaneously pointing and laughing at yourself.

And, yes, that means George Quartz and his synthesized compatriots have progressed from 2006's Black Glove or White Glove. All That Remains is a more dynamic, more dramatic, but equally tongue-in-cheek effort that simultaneously pays homage to new wave and post-punk icons while tickling their chins with the sarcasm of a veteran drag queen. "Dreams Don't Die" showcases more complex layering—without losing danceability. That's an element present on much of the album but most notably on ass-groovers "Dirt City Rollers" and "Nothing Gold" (that latter song recognizable thanks to the Internet-rampant Victor Solomon-directed video).

Produced by fellow area art-wavers Mission Giant, All That Remains shares a glitchy cohesion with MG's own Golden Triangle. But while MG innocently seduces with 8-bit games and Scouts humor, Faux Fox comes in all skin-tight androgyny and imported cigarettes.

Given Faux Fox's incredible stage presence and physical energy, the band has always aced the live side of things, leaving the recordings enticing but seeming slightly undone. With this third full-length, though, the band has come closer to matching the virtually palpable attitude that flows past the tinted shades, cables and mics.