Two years ago, Ronnie Martin from the ever-existing Joy Electric got together with vocalist from the now-defunct Fine China and created a new wave-styled full-length album under the name of The Foxglove Hunt. After Martin's last side project, The Brothers Martin, was left as a one-time deal, listeners weren't sure if they would hear anymore from The Foxglove Hunt. However, December of 2009 showed that the duo is still into making music together, as evidenced by the short Built My Fortress EP.

"The Time Redeem" sounds like it would've been a perfect fit on their full-length Stop Heartbeat. That '80s new wave vibe is still there, with a slightly upbeat feel, and the use of what sounds like a guitar in the background. Following is the first of three new mixes of Stop Heartbeat songs, "It's Not Effective (Rock Mix)." It ends up being exactly what they wanted, making it essentially the same song, but with live rock instruments as opposed to electronic music. It works very well for the song. A new track, "Alone and You Like It," comes in with a drum machine and then electronic sounds that lean more toward the Joy Electric sound than Fine China, yet still sounding like it came from a couple decades back. The other two remixes are next with "A Concealed Weapon," which got completely stripped down to just a piano, but still manages to remain true to the original version with the composition. For "That's Getting Personal," The Foxglove Hunt took a different approach, with what sounds like a brand new, complete re-imagining of the song. Withem sings over an acoustic guitar that sounds more like an indie rendition than a straight-up acoustic translation. Very well done for the duo. Built My Fortress ends on another new wave note with "A Building Collapsing." It's more of what you've come to expect of the group, and a good way to end the six-song EP.

Built My Fortress is a pretty good collection of songs, but the song placement is a little questionable. It may have sounded better to put the electronic new songs first, followed by the remixes. It's just a little odd to go from electronic to rock to slow acoustic songs followed by another electronic song. However, they're still good songs and renditions, and if you enjoyed Stop Heartbeat, you probably wouldn't be disappointed with Built My Fortress.

- Review date: 1/19/10, written by Scott Fryberger of Jesusfreakhideout.com

---

(JFH Sponsor Spot)

---

Record Label: None
Album length: 6 tracks
Street Date: December 22, 2009
Buy It: Amazon Music (MP3)

1. The Time Redeem (3:23)
2. It's Not Effective (Rock Mix) (3:50)
3. Alone And You Like It (3:28)
4. A Concealed Weapon (Piano Mix) (4:10)
5. That's Getting Personal (Acoustic Mix) (4:45)
6. A Building Collapsing (3:31)