Gallantly Streaming: The Company Band, Toadies Give The Dog Days Of Summer Some Bite
Fans impatiently awaiting a new record by Clutch can have their appetites partially sated by The Company Band's second EP Pros And Cons.
Neil Fallon's distinctive voice has the power to make just about anything sound like Clutch; good thing, since most of the EP's five tracks bear little to no musical resemblance to Fallon's day job.
We've already heard lead track House of Capricorn, and it's the closest we're coming to a true Clutch vibe. Black Light Fever has Nuge-sized swagger, Kill Screen picks up the pace and rocks in the same vein as Zombie Barricades, the highlight of their self-titled debut album. Loc Nar brings some menacing, doom-and-gloomy chug-a-chug, and closer El Dorado is what would have to be considered a Company Band power ballad, complete with the heart-tugging line "I'm so sorry I had to cannibalize you".
At a meager five songs, of course it ends too soon. But it's a nice, light snack to tide us over for Clutch's next album. Let's hope Fallon gets his nose to the grindstone and the three-year-plus wait ends sooner rather than later.
You'd be forgiven for not recognizing Toadies. The bulk of their success was in America, where Rubberneck spawned five singles and went platinum back in 1995 (a feat that sounds incredible now, but was much more commonplace back in the day). A glaring example of record company stupidity, their sophomore album was shelved by their label, who eventually released Hell Below/Stars Above a full six years after Rubberneck to ensure they'd faded from public conscience. It's a horrible and infuriating tale of stifled glory, one that's worth reading up on.
Anyway, Toadies have soldiered on; their fourth official album Play.Rock.Music rocks with the fury of that aforementioned second album while packing some of the power pop chops of Rubberneck. Even if you don't remember Possum Kingdom, a lot of that passion and spirit is on display here. They'll never go platinum again, but to fade into obscurity is a gross disservice to a band whose 90's rock achievements have had their legacy shadowed by far worse bands.
Pros And Cons and Play.Rock.Music both see release tomorrow.
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