Friendo – Cold Toads (Music Review)
By Andrew Duncan • May 17th, 2010 • Category: Categories, Lo-Fi, ReviewsFriendo
Cold Toads
St. Ives
Rating: 3 out of 5
Friendo’s debut Cold Toads comes to us with a degree of simplicity that really is not so simple, but the delusion makes for a good listening experience.
The three-piece churn out seven songs of ‘70s punk aesthetics with what can only be explained as the Sonic Youth dissonant noise experience.
Although some songs feel a little too repetitious — “Young Fellows” and despite its ghostly vocal appearance, “Calling” — there are some real lo-fi sparklers on this album.
“Counter/Time” brings us into the band’s mindset with a cosmically hypnotizing guitar time signature and a thumping beat that tribalizes the experience. “Hailey Oman” slips into that late ‘70s/early ‘80s art punk sound like Cabaret Voltaire or some early 4AD band is to follow.
Michael Wallace, from Women fame, is a leader. With an album like Cold Toads, you immediately realize that despite the limitations, this is a band who is unashamed at leaving the boundaries of their musical periphery intact. It probably serves them best when you travel through their lo-fi means and soft rebellions.
Some songs you will find listening to over and over while others you may want to sit there and think about the songs you do like.
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Andrew Duncan is a journalist who has migrated to the forces of academia. He has written for various publications including Chord, Heckler, Readyset...Aesthetic, and a vast array of alternative press contributions. When not roaming the streets of Indianapolis, he is either addicted to KXCI, making music, or striving to watch every film listed on IMDB.
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