Band: TOY
Release: Join The Dots (Album)
Release Date: 09/12/13
2013 has indulged us with some wonderful psychedelic songs, such as Hookworms ‘Preservation’ and Temples ‘Keep In The Dark’ to name but two; TOY enrich us with 11 as they release their second record ‘Join The Dots’, building upon the space-rock majesty of their 2012 debut LP.
‘Join The Dots’ introduces itself to one’s ears with a 7 minute psych-instrumental eruption; The track in question named ‘Conductor’, is a soundscape embellished by jet-plane guitars, driving drums and presents an extraordinarily visceral way to capture the attention and imagination of the listener. This is the musical embodiment of a band with a Pompeii-sized gamut of self-assurance.
After this 7 minute onslaught we break into ‘You Won’t Be The Same’ where we hear singer/guitarist Tom Dougall’s voice for the first time. Where ‘Conductor’ is successful in its experimentation, ‘You Won’t Be The Same’ adheres to a more conventional pop songwriting sensibility.
For two minutes we float along on dreamlike melodies and ethereal backing vocals before a change in direction brings a more melancholic mood in a musical refrain that builds to crescendo with a crashing cymbal drum beat.
These two opening tracks exemplify the two sides of TOY’s character. The first being extended sections of psych-out, ambient weirdness. The second being beautiful songwriting; the same sort of wistful, wonky pop songs Syd Barrett once wrote (see ‘Arnold Lane’).
These two elements combine most magnificently on the title track ‘Join The Dots’. The track starts with an exciting bass loop and discordant organ chords before kicking into nursery rhyme melodies. The track then shifts into a new progression, a second phase if you will, which features wild guitar squalls, motoring drums (which hint at the Krautrock influence often accredited to the band) and the jet-plane guitar pedal atmospherics that are a recurring motif within TOY’s sound.
It then seamlessly reverts back to the sing-song vocal melodies before lurching into the propulsive fourth phase; this time the metronomic drums breaking into crash cymbals to heighten the maniacal cacophony of sound that ends the track. It’s stunning.
The production by Dan Carey (The Kills, Mystery Jets) is noteworthy; he never allows ‘Join The Dots’ to become self-indulgent but neither does he suffocate the creativity and freedom. There is perhaps a lack of vocal variation at times; in the choice of melody, the delivery of the vocal and the way it is presented… but this is a minor criticism.
‘Join The Dots’ finishes very strongly with ‘Fall Out Of Love’ which hints at a Nineties Indie influence and boasts a beautiful chorus, where Dougall’s voice blends euphorically with soaring strings. As is TOY’s wont, after 3 and a half minutes they return to instrumentalism, starting first with a fuzz bass thud, soon being joined by mechanical drum beats and ever hastening, intertwining, swirling guitar refrains. It’s a fittingly widescreen, hypnotic end to an accomplished second album from TOY.
8/10
Reviewer: Joel Alexander
