Toy have released their third album and it’s a riotous mix of sixties-flavoured melodies, motoric beats and soaring guitar lines.
This new LP represents something of a change on two fronts for the Brighton quintet. Their original keyboardist, Alejandra Diez, has left the band, to be released by The Proper Ornaments’s Max Oscarnold. On this album the band seem to be concentrating a little more on melody and songcraft. That’s not to say that the first two albums were not melodic or well-written, however. On Clear Shot there seems to be less of a concentration on krautrock and soundscapes (though elements are still present) and a little more on pastoral English 60s folk and psychedelic pop like Family or even Syd Barrett, as well as interesting cinematic elements.
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This new album has some fantastic ‘individual’ elements. The synths from Oscarnold, the tenderfoot, are constantly innovative and only dominate when they need to. The bendy keyboard line on ‘I’m Still Believing’ is so simple and fine, it perfectly (blew) my mind. ‘I’m Still Believing’, the single from Clear Shot, is one of the best things TOY have ever done. It’s gorgeous and concise and impeccably wistful. Tom Dougall proves on this again why he’s one of the coolest, most understated singers around. The way he deliver lines has a Lou Reed-esque quality to them, a drawl that masks hidden passion. These vocals are accentuated by the addition of backing vocals provided by Panda Barron, which lend a heavenly quality to songs like ‘Fast Silver’ and ‘Dream Orchestrator’. On the previous two albums, backing vocals have been thin on the ground, showing again their evolution in sound.
‘Dream Orchestrator’ is another stand-out track. It sees TOY making a slight return to the kind of driving rhythms that characterised their first LP. This track is also the most dance-orientated that they’ve ever done, with a joyful chorus and synths reminiscent of Air. The track has a kind of hands-in-the air abandonment.
One element that struck me as soon as I heard the album is the cinematic element to the songs; the final song is even called ‘Cinema’. They aren’t overblown, but they are spectacular. ‘Clouds That Cover The Sun’ in particular could accompany a shot of just that, clouds sweeping across the sun, with its graceful, descending melody and swaying beat.
Each instrument doesn’t seem to have a set role within the band which is refreshing. In some songs, the bass provides a melody, in others, Charlie Salvidge’s drums are the hook. Dougall’s voice is often so textured and soft that it might be a synthesizer if he wasn’t singing words. Dominic O’Dair’s guitar playing is just magnificent too. His use of sparkling guitar lines never obscure anything and I like how he has never been one to clutter his playing with guitar pedals; he inhabits the song rather than adding things on top of it. O’Dair has the same sort of ethos as players like Jez Williams from Doves or Gaz Coombes from Supergrass, guitarists who build their playing around chords and melodies that benefit the music.
Though ‘Clear Shot’ has been a long time coming, it’s dispelled any worries that TOY were coming back a lesser band. The opposite, in fact, is true. They haven’t let the loss of a member hamper their progress and they’ve moved from strength to strength whilst still staying true to what made them great in the first place. Clear Shot shows why TOY are one of the most exciting and dynamic bands around today.
P.S- look at that- a review of a TOY album, and I only used the word ‘motoric’ once.
Words by Will Ainsley