Join The Dots ［LP+CD］＜初回生産限定盤＞

2012年にNMEの「今聴くべき100のバンド」に選出され、ザ・ホラーズのスパイダー・ウエッブも「昨年登場した最もエキサイティングなバンド。2012年のお気に入り。」と絶賛し彼らのUKツアー・サポートにトーイを起用!更にはアルバム・デビュー前にも関わらずサマーソニック 2012に出演し日本のロック・ファンにも衝撃を与えた彼ら。同年9月にリリースされたデビュー作『トーイ』はNMEが「個性的で素晴らしい作品。アルバムが終わったらすぐさま、また聴きたくなるだろう。」と評した他主要媒体で軒並み称賛された。またトラヴィスは自身の楽曲「ムーヴィング」で「今日は高速道路でトーイを聴かなきゃ」と歌っておりミュージシャンからも熱い支持を集めている。待望の新作は前作と同じくフランツ・フェルディナンド、ザ・キルズを手掛けたダン・キャリーがプロデュース。クラウトロック、シューゲイザー、サイケデリック等を独特の感性で鳴らすスタイルは正にザ・ホラーズの正統な後継者といえる!今UKで一番スタイリッシュなバンドが本作で遂に本格ブレイクを果たす!

Based on all the directions TOY took on their self-titled debut, it seemed like they'd have to choose between their Krautrock excursions, their fondness for post-punk, and their dream pop leanings in order to make something consistently satisfying. That isn't the case on Join the Dots, which finds them bridging the gaps that made their first album as unfocused as it was promising. Reunited with producer Dan Carey, the band blends the best of each approach they tried on TOY. They give their pop songs some of the drive of their ambitious instrumentals on songs like the former single "Endlessly" and "You Won't Be the Same," which nods to '60s and '80s psych pop with its jangly guitars and hazy keyboards. Meanwhile, they lend some of the melodic beauty of their three-minute singles to their more expansive songs like the soaring title track, which harnesses all of TOY's scattered energy with jet-propelled power. Balancing these extremes could have resulted in a bland mishmash, but it works remarkably well on Join the Dots. It helps that the bandmembers know how to pace themselves better than they did on their debut, whether on the rangy opening track "Conductor" or "Too Far Gone to Know," which builds from a stately start until it culminates in keyboards that suggest streaking past stars. The emphasis on TOY's prettier side on songs like "Left to Wander" and "Frozen Atmosphere" means that there's less of the hard-edged attitude that fueled some of their first album's highlights. Then again, there's less need for it when TOY can deliver songs as mighty as "Fall Out of Love," which incorporates everything they do well: tough verses, vulnerable choruses, and a triumphant, seemingly endless climax. Join the Dots shows that instead of limiting themselves, TOY have just gotten better overall -- arguably the more difficult, and rewarding, path for a band to take. ~ Heather Phares

ホラーズもベタ惚れしたロンドン出身の男女混合5人組が早くも2作目を発表。前作ではマイブラやステレオラブからの影響を丸出しにしていましたが、今回はさらにブロードキャストの幻惑性やワイアーのポップ感まで吸収し、英国サイケ道をがっつり掘り下げています。フランツ・フェルディナンド仕事で知られるダン・キャリーとの呼吸もバッチリ合っていて、ひと回り逞しくなった姿が克明に刻まれた一枚。
bounce (C)佐藤一道