The ‘new wave’ of psychedelia that has emerged in the last five or so years has produced many an average, floppy-haired band that are so shoegaze you actually find yourself gazing at your own shoes and falling asleep. Yet there have equally been those who have restored faith in the genre, pushing it forward into fresh and exciting territory. And Brighton-based quartet TOY have certainly played their part. Tripping onto
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‘You Want It Darker’ shows an erudite artist still intent on pushing himself and addressing the world as he sees it, even in his eighties.
‘Joanne’ is an incredibly strong album and does not disappoint her hardcore fans, and should even win back some of the ‘Artpop’ critics.
Recorded in London, ‘Utopia Defeated’ is a well-travelled record that borrows from many palettes to paint a splendid picture.
‘The Midnight Sun’ is an impressive and relaxed album, and one that hasn’t seen Duncan’s musical integrity tainted by his rise to success.
‘Requiem’, for all its attempted restraint, is the most ambitious-sounding GOAT record to date.
’22, A Million’ not only manages to stray from anything clichéd but reasserts Justin Vernon’s status as one of the few artists that truly manages to make an art form out of his melancholic ponderings of the world around him.
‘Preoccupations’ crackles with nervous energy and tension, and serves to buttress the impressive and innovative post-punk of the band’s debut last year.
While there’s probably less enduring material here for Tweedy’s hardcore fans to pore over for years to come, ‘Schmilco’ is a great entry point for newcomers looking for a way into a discography stretching back to 1995.
A work of extreme beauty whose emotional power often borders on the physical, ‘Skeleton Tree’ will richly reward those who are willing to give it repeated listens.
