| Initially, it’s rather hard to know
what to make of "Through the Window." As a piece of music, it’s a lot of
things modern records generally are not.
For one thing, it’s big; if nothing else, the bigness
of this music can not be disputed. Big as in the first days of arena rock. This is
flagrant, fun and hi-fi. The choruses - anchored though they are by plangent basslines and
supple guitars - soar in a way that suggests these songs are truly formidable in a live
setting.
Though clearly a product of cutting-edge digital production
techniques, the uniformly solid songwriting hints at influences as retro and varied as
Boston (the wide-eyed ballad "Snow White") and Nirvana (the snarly punk-esque
"New Moon").
Another thing about this record is that it is
extraordinarily economic. The production is so taut you could bounce a quarter off of it
and the instrumentation, for all its virtuosity, is so scrupulous it might be accused of
being antiseptic. But the overall passion evident on the record saves it from that charge.
Bassist/vocalist Dae plays and sings with unmitigated conviction, qualities that fall into
lock step when married to the big hooks embedded in winners like "Sometimes I"
and "Miles From Nowhere."
"Through the Window" seems an apt title for a
work of this kind. It looks out upon – and borrows from - a number of contemporary
trends, but for the most part does not come out to play. Instead, Forgotten Toys choose to
stay inside and dabble with their substantial cadre of rock and roll toys. "Through
the Window" is much the better for such wise decisions.
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Forgotten Toys
