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Album Details
- Artist: Ton-Taun
- Album: Exporter
- Label:
- Year of Release: 2010
- ME Rating:
- Reviewed by: archelon on 2011-01-24
Media
RecommendTon-Taun released their debut full-length Circus Court barely a year ago, and were instantly earmarked for it's-folk-with-a-difference greatness among bands like Modest Mouse and Wilco: lilting alt-rock sound, creative influences and layered arrangements. The Lancaster, PA four-piece have something of a point to prove - the band itself (composed of avid music lovers and listeners) have cited Miles Davis and Charles Mingus among their influences and dubbed complexity the name of the game. As they sing during 'Headdresses', "we want to be something bigger than we are now".
Fans of Circus Court rejoice - the twanging guitars and coughed-out vocal lines are still prevalent. Somewhat newer are the somewhat offbeat drums (undoubtedly a nod to the aforementioned jazz greats) and the unusual phrasing of the lyrics, but the sheer number of listens and mental effort it takes to arrive at these almost isn't worth their discovery. 'Headdresses', for instance, takes itself just a little too seriously. As Jordan Capizzi grinds out lines like "I was happy to see how scared you are of me" over, and over, and over again you expect the arrangement to swell somewhat but it doesn't - the sounds just loop. The whole effect is gritty, yes, but also excruciatingly repetitive.
'Maxwell's' starts off promisingly, with harmonious guitars and tap-tapping drums, but the riffs are just re-used until the interlude halfway through, which feels gratuitous at best and pretentious at worst. 'The Coca-Cola Factory' is a nice little song with a different texture and good lyrics well-delivered ("we weren't meant for shit luck; shit luck just kinda caught up with us") but there is very little otherwise that stands out from this album. It's a lot like the 9-5, yes you don't hate your job but there are always those days where nothing really happens. You're not stressed, you're not skipping, you just turn up, get it done, and leave again.
Exporter is, predominantly, common-or-garden lounge rock. Something for the Sunday mornings, when you've got a good book or a paper to read: or anything just a little more pressing to concentrate on. All the best bits of each song happen during the first verse/chorus cycle, then it's mostly same-old. It has it's place, as all niche music does, but unless you're either stoned or an alt-folk fetishist, there's little to entice and excite. I played a bit of this album to my other half - he removed the headphones and I asked him what he thought. After a short pause, during which he passed through numerous facial expressions wrestling for a word, he commented: "It's... long."
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on 2011-02-10 heynow69 Said:
Emmy,
Reading your review on Exporter was very interesting to me. Understanding the quality and beauty in music is something that can be learned over time, it does not just happen one day. Not understanding and passing music off as pretentious or bland is something many new music fans do, and I still have faith that you'll learn quickly about reviewing, understanding, and appreciating music. I will be the first to admit I didn't totally "get" Kid A the first time I popped it into my boombox, but who could blame me, I was new to the game.
Just to clarify for those with perhaps a more enriched taste of music, Exporter shines in a way that I have not seen an album shine in a while. The fact that this a local band alone still shocks me, and the professionalism and passion put into these tracks does my heart good to see that the music of totally isn't (totally) dead. I do not really feel the need to go into discussion of the tracks as Marcus did a very appropriate scan through himself. This album is so multilayered and the members so talented that really the only place for them to go is up.
I played this album to my other half on the way to Martha's Vineyard this summer, and after the final sounds of The Feeling You Get... drowned out, she removed her Snickers bar from the wrapper and I asked her what he thought. She took a bite from her Snickers; we held eye contact as she chewed. After she swallowed her mouthful, she said, "let's play it again." But why would someone reading this review care about that anyway?
-E
Not Rated
on 2011-01-28 Archelon Said:
Marcus, nice to hear an opposing viewpoint! And thank you for the correction of the album title - my iTunes mislabelled it for some unknown reason.
Not Rated
Review:
on 2011-01-27 Marcus Said:
After reading Emmy's review, I chose to personally listen to Ton-Tauns new album, Exporter. But to my surprise, my perception of the 12 tracks was much different. Which made me start thinking that perhaps Emmy didnt take the time to listen to the album thoroughly, or even think things through. Her review stops with Maxwells, the 7th song on the album and fails to consider some of the best songs on the album. It begins to make me wonder if she even listened to Exporter in its entirety. She also inappropriately titles the first album Circus Court as Circus Courts. But rather than focus on Emmys misguided view of the work, Ill present my own assessment.
While the opening track Headdresses does seem repetitive, its catchy riff and chorus are two things youll want to hear more than once. Around half way through, Doug Hynes breaks from the memorable guitar rift into a powerful solo that seems only equaled by Jordan Capizzis intense and emotional vocals.
The fourth track, Please, Caroline shows the bands great attention to song writing. It begins with a quiet, but emotional piano melody. The drums, bass, and guitar all kick in with the introduction of Capizzis distinct voice. The instruments then build and grow together. Capizzis lyrics ( a life on a railroad track, shes not ever coming back ) hit hard, along with Luis Borgattas percussion.
Much more mellow than some of the earlier tracks, the song Postcards from India shows Capizzis lyric writing style. His lyrics draw from everyday experiences but present them in a poetic and meaningful way ( I miss her, but I dont know what her name is ). This makes each song both enjoyable and accessible to the listener.
The closing track The Feeling You Get When You Drive With No Shoes On is a showcase of the bands talents. The song opens with an echoing Capizzi voice accompanied only by the strumming of an acoustic guitar and kicks into a melody reminiscent of an early Modest Mouse track. Mario Borgattas bass creates a rhythm that acts as a calming, carrying force to the song, as Capizzis and Hynes multi-layered guitar work twang on. Luis makes great use of his snare only to add yet another dimension to this incredibly complex song. The percussion rattles on in contrast to Capizzis occasional piano melody.
The band, made entirely of students, obviously has a strong dedication to the music they write. While they tend to remain more traditional in their songwriting, songs like Psychopath and Elevator show the bands dynamism. In all, the album is both expressive and bold. The band seems to have gone to longer strides than on Circus Court to bring a larger complexity and intricacy to their songs. So call me either a pothead or an alt-folk fetishist, because I think these 4 young men have a great career ahead of them.
Rating: 9/10
