CD Review: Shiny Toy Guns - Season of Poison

I really liked Shiny Toy Guns' 1st/2nd/3rd CD We Are Pilots. It had an enjoyable mix of dance, electronica, and pop/rock. Whe I heard they were coming out with a new CD, I was understandably excited. Then I learned that they had parted ways with Carah Faye Charnow, who had injected a lot of the attitude and fun that made We Are Pilots so good. Then I heard the lead single to Season of Poison - 'Ricochet!', which prompted me to write the following:

"I was pumped for a new Shiny Toy Guns release when I first heard it was coming, but if the rest of Season of Poison is anything like this, it'll just prove that We Are Pilots was lightning in a bottle, and that the lightning has escaped."

Luckily, Season of Poison isn't quite all that bad. Sisely's "tough girl" vocals prove to be tortuous at times, but her actual 'singing' voice is pretty decent. The album kicks off with a song that represents the abum pretty well "When Did the Storm Begin", Sisely sort of rhythmicly shouts the verses, but she's saved soon enough by a soaring power-pop chorus. This proves to be about as close as Season of Poison comes to a formula. Most of the CD is guitar-driven power-pop, basicaly A lot less "Don't Cry Out", a lot more "Chemistry of a Car Crash". Occasionaly it veers and careens from genre to genre, touching on hints of african drum beats ("Season of Love"), some honest to God prog-rock ("Poison") and a LOT of 80's pop ("I Owe You a Love Song", and especially "Blown Away"). Through it all though, there very few light melodies. These are big songs.

I've warmed to 'Ricochet' to the extent that I greatly enjoy the chorus, but the verses are still hard to listen to. In fact, that represents one of the problems I do have with this CD. The album is so scattershot (often switching things up within the song, and putting things that don't necessarily work together - such as the organ led verses and the distorted guitar chord guzzling of "Blown Away") that you often get something you're not fond of mixed in with a song that you enjoy. There's the painful verses of the otherwise fantastic "When Did the Storm Begin?". There's the epic "Poison" with 2 minutes of needless organ and ambient noise noodling stuck on the end. A lot of it just seems disjointed, like the band had a million different directions they wanted to go, and only 45 minutes to pack it into.

If that sounds harsh, I really don't mean it to be. Like I said initially, this is a good CD. The band obviously doesn't miss Carah nearly as much as I had feared they might. With a few head-scratching exceptions, Sisely acquits herself pretty well. It's easy to miss sure things like "Don't Cry Out", and "Le Disko", and I don't think this CD will gain quite the same place in my CD wallet that We Are Pilots did, but I'd recommend this to anyone who liked Shiny Toy Guns before.

It's nice to be proven wrong sometimes.

7/10

Upcoming: Shiny Toy Guns, TV on the Radio, People in Planes, Oasis

I haven't been buying much music this past month. Nothing's really caught my attention (Hold Steady and Crystal Castles notwithstanding). Later this year, however, looks to be a blitz of good music. Lucky for me, a few of my favorite bands have songs out in advance of their upcoming projects. Here's a few of them.

Shiny Toy Guns
Upcoming Album: Season of Poison
Release Date: November 4
Lead Single: 'Ricochet'

Wow, these guys are going to miss Carrah Faye Charnow. The former lead female vocalist of the band mysteriously quit the band this month, and Sisely Treasure (her replacement) really doesn't pick up the slack all that well in this song. First thing I'm noticing is that she sings her vocals in a fairly deep tone of voice. It actually sounds kind of silly until the chorus mercifully hits. Chad Petree sings the chorus, which kicks into high gear. Distorted guitars, half screamed vocals - this is a drastic change in style, and I'm not so sure I'm a fan yet. I rather liked the guilty-pleasure electropop of We Are Pilots.

Excitement Level: 4 - I was pumped for a new Shiny Toy Guns release when I first heard it was coming, but if the rest of Season of Poison is anything like this, it'll just prove that We Are Pilots was lightning in a bottle, and that the lightning has escaped.

TV on the Radio
Upcoming Album: Dear Science, (yes, the comma is part of the album title. weird, huh?)
Release Date: September 23
Teaser Song: 'Golden Age'

'Golden Age' is weird, but then again, that shouldn't really be any surprise. TVotR has made a career out of tweaking expectations, this song is just another curveball. I've listened to it 3 or 4 times, and still don't have a solid handle on it.

Excitement Level: 7 - It always takes about 10 listens for a TVotR song to grab ahold of me (other than the fantastic 'Wolf Like Me'). This one seems to be no different. I'm sure the CD itself will be crazy good. If it's even half as good as 'Return to Cookie Mountain', it'll be a great CD.

People in Planes
Upcoming Album: Beyond the Horizon
Release Date: September 9?
Lead Single: 'Pretty Buildings'

This song has actually been out for a while, but I just haven't really gotten around to talking about it. 'Pretty Buildings' is a little more straight forward than most of the stuff I've heard from People in Planes, but it keeps their unique edge and lyrical phrasing. The track starts off with some really nice piano work, and unfolds and keeps building to an anthemic chorus.

Excitement Level: 8 - 'Pretty Buildings' is good, but I hope that there's a little more variation on the full length like there was on 'As Far As the Eye Can See'. I'm sure they're up to the challenge, and I'm sure 'Beyond the Horizon' will make my top 10.

Oasis
Upcoming Album: Dig Out Your Soul
Release Date: October 6
Lead Single: 'The Shock of the Lightning'

Every single CD since 'Standing on the Shoulder of Giants' has been touted as Oasis' "return to form". There's a certain hope that they'll recapture the glory days of 'Morning Glory' and 'Definitely Maybe'. I'll go on record and say that'll never happen. Having 2 stone cold classic albums is already a tall task, and I don't think they're about to shoot to the top to become the biggest band in the world again anytime soon. 'The Shock of the Lightning', though, shows that they could at least bring back a little of the excitement. 'Don't Believe the Truth' was good, and I enjoyed it greatly, but it didn't have the energy or immediate thrill that their first two did. If this new song is any indication, the swagger could be at least somewhat back in their step.

Excitement Level: 9 - Hey, it's a new CD from my favorite band. That makes it an automatic 8, at least, plus the lead single is good. I'm still a little wary, if only because they've been promising a return to 'glory' days for years now, and like I said before, I don't believe they'll ever fully get back there. On the other hand, this song does rock, and that has to count for something, right?