Album Review: The Gifthorse/The Phoenix Foundation - 'Split 7 inch'

Brisbane locals The Gifthorse have teamed up with Finland’s The Phoenix Foundation to release two new songs from each band on vinyl through Poison City Records.

The Gifthorse get things rolling with their opening track “Awake And Waiting”. Picking up where the band’s 2009 EP “From The Floor Up” left off, this would without a doubt be one of the strongest songs The Gifthorse have written to date. I had this song stuck in my head for days after hearing it. Everything about this song sounds fantastic, the guitars and drums sounds great; front man Shane’s vocals suit the music perfectly and the back up vocals in the song mixes well with Shane’s voice. The next song “Where We’re Going We Don’t Need Roads”, while not as good as the previous track, is still a solid song in it’s own right. The song once again features solid guitar parts and insanely catchy melodies.

To be completely honest, I had never heard of The Phoenix Foundation until I bought this split. I am definitely glad that I have now. The band’s first track “What Is It You Want Me To Say” has a super catchy chorus and the band’s front man Jallu delivers each line with a great amount of passion. The following track “Can’t Say I Never Tried” is a quiet short track clocking in at under a minute and a half. The song features a laid back solo, before heading back into the song’s chorus to end the record.

One of the main issues with reviewing a split is that quite often one side of the record is noticeably stronger than the other. In this case, The Gifthorse’s side of the split is definitely the better side of the split, but that doesn’t mean the songs by The Phoenix Foundation aren’t any good. I quite enjoyed all of the songs on this record.

By the time I managed to get my hands on a copy of this record, The Gifthorse had already announced that they are calling it quits. It’s such as shame to see a band this good deciding to throw in the towel. This split has encouraged me to keep my eyes peeled for what The Phoenix Foundation release in the future.

The GIfthorse:

1. Awake And Waiting

2. Where We're Going We Don't Need Roads

The Phoenix Foundation:

3. What Is It That You Want Me to Say

4. Can't Say I Never Tried