This release appears on Austrian label Klanggalerie, who has released all of the Charles Bobuck albums, and his final few solo albums. The release is presented in the form of a glossy digipak- on its cover is a picture of the young fox superimposed over a bridge structure. Inside we get a picture of Mr. Fox smiling in his later years, and his birth & death date. The CD it's self features a brain scan- so a low-key, though arty bit  of packaging.

The release takes in a single just under twenty-five-minute track- and this has a very tardis like quality to it, as Fox seemingly managers to stretch-out time (in a good way), bringing together some truly fascinating/ creative song sketches & sound elements.  So while the track is far from a loose jam, wondering improv, or random sound-making, there is a very episodic/ drifting quality to the whole thing. I’d say think a more manic & deranged take on early Van Dyke Parks , and you’ll get a rough idea of what we have here.

I won’t go on to do a minute-by-minute review or break down of the track, but instead, I’ll mention a few of the standout moments that appear along the way- through that said it’s all pretty damn great. The track begins with an oddly drowsy blend of stabbing & wavering electronica- over the top we get a blend of two layers of  Mr. Fox’s voice- first there’s his spoken word elements, and the second this sort of gone wrong stage-show sing-song voice, and fairly soon the pair start angering- with the spoken word Fox saying ‘I think you should go & Fuck yourself’, as this section ends. At around the three minute & forty minutes we get jumps between downbeat marching piano & skittering electro-jazz with tribal beats - to start with the piano moments come off like mournful singer-songwriter fare with Fox mumbling about cancer in his head, then later shifts to a grim plod.  Around the ten & a half minute, we move into a bright & buoyant techno jaunt- which sudden shifts from one note piano wonky-ness, before moving into a wavering & sing song avant synth-pop song with the chorus finding Fox singing ‘we all like ugly’. By the fifteen & a half minute mark we get the tolling & wondering bleak blues guitar with Fox weedy voice underneath saying ‘it took me many years of playing the guitar to realize I was a shitty guitar player’.  In the tracks final moments, we move between sassy piano & synth horn work-out, and a rising-to- dramatic blend of galloping synthic cinematic orchestration with Fox loosely wavering/ mumbling over the top.

25 Minus Minutes is a daring & wholly creative release, that constantly tales risks and mostly pulls them off. It stands as a great final statement from one of the most versatile, daring & distinctive songwriters of our time- goodbye Mr. Fox you will be very much missed, and thank you for all the odd wonder & sonic surprises you created over your forty plus year career