“Outlaws of Peace” by Foxy Leopard has a dark and rugged atmosphere and blends an unusual folk style with a narrative based on post-Civil War America. Because of its rugged character the track is well suited to the theme of violence which continued beyond the battlefield, thereby creating a sense of tension without the need for a complicated musical arrangement. The end product is a recording in which the music and the subject matter move in the same direction and both convey the uneasy nature of the transition from war to peace.
A resonator guitar contributes greatly to the song’s character through its metallic string tones, eerie slides, and deep acoustic resonance. The nearly electric growl gives the recording a fierce character and thus moves it away from a typical acoustic folk style. Instead of eliminating the instrument’s rough aspects, the song accepts them and lets the guitar develop a tough musical identity. As a result, the recording has a cinematic feel without losing the raw character linked to its folk origins.
Set in the difficult period following the American Civil War, the narrative focuses on the experiences of Jesse and Frank James. The fact that these men had been guerrillas fighting for the Confederacy offers a means of examining how violence can continue to affect people long after a war has ended. There is also a similarity between the assassination of Lincoln and the death of Jesse James, which adds a further dimension to the theme by linking the two different legacies through the ongoing effects of the conflict. Because of these references, the song has a well-defined historical background without limiting its subject to merely a straightforward description of past events.
Rawness takes precedence over refinement in the musical style of “Outlaws of Peace.” The guitar provides the tension, but it is the subject that gives this tension a meaning that goes beyond sound. The song has a cinematic quality due to the connection between its rough recording and the disturbing events it examines. Foxy Leopard produces a song which encourages listeners to think about how violence can continue long after the circumstances which originally caused it.
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