Lets Talk New Music: toyGuitar

toyGuitar - In This Mess - Fat Wreck Chords





I knew nothing about the band toyGuitar except they are signed to Fat. Then I saw them play not to long ago with Lagwagon in LA. I was excited to see them, everyone kept saying how awesome they were and how I would probably like them. Well, I didn't. It honestly kind of bummed me out a little. I wanted to like this band, but I couldn't get into it. But, forever being the optimist I am, decided maybe it was just that particular show or that particular venue. Its hard to actually hear a new band in a place like that.

So, I was stoked when I downloaded this album. Was this when Kevin finally became a toyGuitar fan? Nope. Turns out, I just don't like this band. Listening to this album, the first thing I thought was it sounds like the old-other-singer-who-wasn't-Chicken from Dead to Me doing a terrible Lou Reed impression. Turns out, I wasn't wrong. It finally clicked why people kept telling me I'd like this band. "It's Jack's new band" they would say. And I'd just kind of be like ,"Cool. Who the fuck is Jack?" Jack is Jack Dalyrymple, who has been in or is still in or recently rejoined: One Man Army, Dead to Me, The Re-Volts and The Swingin' Utters. It makes perfect sense why people thought I would like this as well. I SHOULD like this band.

Musically, this record is solid. A little bit Garage Rock, a little bit Pop Punk. The guitars, bass and drums all sound great, I actually really like the music. The last song on this album, Loose in a Room fucking shreds. So what's the problem? Weirdly enough, my issue is Jack Dalyrymple. I really like One Man Army, and I fucking LOVE Dead to Me. I don't know why, but I absolutely can not stand his voice on this album. I think it's a combination of the way it was recorded and the fucking weird way that he is actually singing the songs. Seriously, the music part sounds great, well recorded and well mixed. I can hear and pick out each instrument. Meanwhile the vocals sound like as they were about to record them, a worm hole opened up and Jack traveled back in time to the 60's inadvertently walking in on the recording of The Velvet Underground & Nico, where he had to wrestle Andy Warhol in a cage match and won, graciously accepting his prize of an era appropriate "state of the art" microphone, and when he was handed his prize, brushed ever so lightly against the prize givers finger sending an electroshock between them and sending him back to the appropriate year, where he decided as a homage to his 5th dimensional adventure, he would use that microphone. Also, right before that, he was listening to a lot of Violent Femmes and it kind of influenced the way he sang. Whatever was going on there, I don't like it and it ruined the whole thing.

Opinion: 3/10 - Music is good, vocals are to weird to ignore.