"Toe - The Future Is Now EP" Review

Toe – The Future Is Now EP [2012] -- 9/10

            Toe is a Japanese math rock band that has put out mostly instrumental releases. However, they’ve been known to have some songs recorded with vocals—usually Japanese and usually quite hushed and non-dominating. Instead of having traditional vocal styles implemented in a rock band, toe consistently relies on their expertly orchestrated instrumentation to transport the listener to their creative world. The signature sound that toe brings is highlighted by innovative and often surprising songwriting in addition to impressive instrumental ability, both backed by superlative production quality.

            

            The balanced production cues on the instrumentation for The Future Is Now really brings forth toe’s songwriting, engaging the listener to hear the intricate melodies the guitars provide. The drum beats which lead the songs are generally fast-paced and frantic, yet rather fluid and still follow a clear pattern which provides as a spine for the progression of the songs. Toe frequently let the songs build and tease before letting the songs erupt into a powerful climax which leaves the listener satisfied. This technique is found on “Ordinary Days” before the song simmers down to segue into the final track. On Future highlight “Tsuki Kake” the song snakes around fluttering percussion and travels through elegant acoustic guitar phrases, trotting bells, and even a synthesizer melody while female vocalist Aco provides an emotion-filled swoon. The song feels like a story being told despite the repetitive lyrics from the foreign vocals.

            The most impressive effort is found on the grand finale title track, however. Right off the bat, the fuse is lit with a complex counter-melody from the guitarists, and the song just keeps building and moving forward until exploding into a perfect climax at the last minute marker before smoldering to a finish. The last sound on the EP is from tired fingers sliding off a fret board.

            The Future Is Now took me on journey that was fast-paced, explosive, and even melancholic. I constantly admired the instrumentation. The percussion is played with intent and ferocity, and the dual guitars were played synergetically, bouncing off each other and at times providing intricate counter-melodies. The beautiful clarity that the instruments were recorded with definitely adds to the overall effect. The EP comes highly recommended because it's completely satisfying and demands replays. 

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Jamie XX and Burial

Jamie XX Listens To Burial, And We Love Him For It.
 

                When I first heard his solo material, I could hear it immediately. Jamie XX has dabbled in making music that is like a modernized, club-worthy Burial sound. Since he does it with such originality and beef, he can claim the sound as his own. His production style is clean, loud, and shimmering. The Burial influences are apparent with Jamie’s choice to implement reworked vocal samples among harmonizing, soaring synthesizers. I wouldn’t go so far as to call them melodic, but they do serve some backbone to the beats. Secondly, Jamie XX uses a distinguishable beat style that is too similar to something Burial that cooks up regularly to not call them influenced. Recognize the syncopated nature of the beat, and then the repetition that is found in both artists.  Of course, being a producer and beat maker, the sound is where the difference lies. Jamie XX’s solo material stays prominent in the bass music scene out of the UK because his bass is heavy and prominent, yet classy, and this style is just another factor that brings me back to his music. Moreover, his production is unique in the sound pallete for his beats. On songs like “Far Nearer”, the tropical sounds invoke imagery of palm trees and ocean waves. In “I’m New Here”, the vibe is more like walking through a rave. This idea could be dramatized by the pulsing beat, which gives the song a ‘slow motion’ feel. As if you’re squeezing your way, step by step, through a color blasted and laser lit room while everyone else is preoccupied. 

                 Either way, the impression I get is much brighter than the ‘light surrounded by darkness’ impression I continually get from Burial’s music. Burial’s music tends to be more stagnant than Jamie’s as far as the artist’s intent for impression goes. With Burial, when I first heard the beauty that is “Dog Shelter”, a deep and vivid ‘memory’ rushed to my mind’s eye. There I was, with good company..in an empty construction site, kicking rocks and empty beer bottles. You know the kind; you've seen it on the side of the road or freeway, with the large floodlights blanketing the site and piercing the darkness surrounding. I’ve been there before, when I was much younger, but these images are reimagined, yet quite clear. Burial’s music obviously emulates the distant night life, and this daydream is what I get from his fully developed vision.

I want to say more, but that’s a good stopping point.