Good family-orientated bands are hard to come by these days, with The Jackson 5 remaining perhaps the most famous. Luckily, Welsh step-father/step-son duo are set to change this, presenting their debut self-titled album. Having already been picked up by various radio stations, not only here but also abroad, 2011 is set to be a successful year for them.
The album opens with ‘Play What You Want,’ an upbeat start that brilliantly highlights the duo’s harmonising abilities, whilst showing both vocal skills in their own right. The lyrics are well-written, with hooks of ‘I’ll play what you want, I won’t play at all’ and ‘you don’t care about us,’ mixed with a “la la la” sing-along section. Debut single ‘And It Was You’ follows, with a piano-focus melody, and an arrangement with more instrumental sections. This time, we get to hear their talents as multi-instrumentalists, and it’s worth it. It may be fairly simple, but that’s all these tracks need.
The album takes a slower turn with ‘Last Chance,’ an acoustic offering showing a softer side to the duo. Later in the album, with ‘Love at an Arm’s Length,’ we get the treat of another laidback track, this time mix with particularly heartfelt, poetic lyrics. ‘Loyal to the Cause’ bounces them back into faster melodies, with the direct lyrics “you’re loyal to the cause but the cause is bound to fail” set to a more instrument heavy melody. This track in particular shows how just two people can make great music which sounds distinctly like a band is playing.
The album finishes with ‘Interrupt,’ weaving laidback section, some laden with strings, with more intense ones, to create a track that keeps you guessing. Their lyrics yell of personal experience, just like “I’m waiting for you to interrupt.”
Perhaps not to everyone’s tastes, but an all-round beautifully simple debut album. Toy Horses have set themselves up for a cracking 2011.
3.5/5
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