toe - New Sentimentality (SE Asian Tour Edition)
Country: Hong KongLabel: White Noise Records / Machu Picchu Industries
Released: July 2008
Genre: Indie-Rock / Math-Rock / Post-Rock
Details:
(Tour Edition with 1 Bonus Track and 2 Video, Limited pressing on 1000 copies!)
16 months after their first full-length album The Book About My Idle Plot on a Vague Anxiety, instrumental pop wizards Toe return with their third EP, engineered by Mito from Clammbon, which expands on their trademark smooth, melodic, drum-propelled jams.
Upon first listen, all of Toe’s requisite pieces are present. Two humble guitars interlock over hummable basslines, driven by the instantly recognizable and expressive drumming of Takashi Kashikura. What is new this time around is a newfound interest in extra instrumentation, with each of the four songs featuring some combination of added acoustic guitar, synthesizers, electronics, xylophone, hand claps and even vocals. This experimentation proves to be a wise addition, as the band’s basic formula, while still as beautiful and catchy as ever, has acquired a rote familiarity through four largely-unchanged releases.
The first two songs, “Tsunagaru Haruka Kanata” and “1/21,” make up what is undeniably the weaker half of the EP, with both tracks kicked off by acoustic guitar licks that are so rhythmically similar it creates the illusion of two halves of the same song. With the extra layers of acoustic guitar and keyboards the individual players slowly fade out of scrunity, to be replaced by a haze of melody that threatens to simultaneously inhabit the realms of both “pleasant” and “boring.”
The title track appears to blend right in with the first two songs, albeit with some stronger percussion and an occasional overhead synth line that could have been taken from Jaga Jazzist. However, after a short wind-down mid-song, the first surprise of the record comes when the band bursts back with an anthemic climax that replaces their typical light arpeggios with full chords and galloping tom rolls.
But in this case, the best was indeed saved for last, with the seven-minute-plus closer “Goodbye.” This rare epic-length song features a tugging, repeated bass line, a relentlessly-simmering hi-hat drumbeat, and most surprising of all, full vocals. While the band has had brief guest appearances and the rare background shriek before, this is their first song to feature full-fledged singing, a melancholy low-key mumble and hum that fits Toe’s music startlingly well. It’s simple and modest, with a strong, heartfelt core.
Regardless of whether or not Toe continues this pleasant vocal experiment in the future, they have the chops and style to continue to carve their niche in the Japanese music scene, so long as they keep pushing their boundaries with each step onward. Based on the forward-moving impression created by the end of New Sentimentality, Toe should remain in good hands for some time to come. – keikaku
Tracklisting:
1 繋がる遥か彼方
2 1/21
3 New Sentimentality
4 グッドバイ/ Goodbye
5 Velvet Blanc [Tour Edition Bonus Track]
Video1 New Sentimentality – 09.Sep.2007 @ Daikanyama UNIT [Tour Edition Bonus Live Video Clip]
Video2 Past And Language – 05.May.2008 @ Hibiya Yaga-Ongakudo [Tour Edition Bonus Live Video Clip]
