Shiny Toy Guns Firing On All Cylinders

The word that Shiny Toy Guns followers are bound to keep returning to again and again in describing the sound of "iii" is "ethereal". I like to think of that word, at least when it's introduced in a musical context, as the sound of possibilities being explored. The road is wide open. The things you could do at the mixing console are endless. Just three bonafide studio albums in, this L.A. foursome linked to various genres such as indie rock, synthpop, and New Wave, dazzles me with the versatile ways it chooses to try and master the possibilities. Man and woman linked arm and arm escaping what reality throws at them is a theme that is returned to time and again. Nowhere is this truer than "Wait 4 Me". It pushes the six-minute mark but you quit nitpicking once you learn how fully committed to their cosmic travels they are. Co-vocalist Carah Faye Charnow presents herself as a heroine with rooting value. The opening moments of the song are marked by her whispered discontent for where she happens to be psychologically and geographically. Buoyed by a jabbing synth she conveys a wish to fly high above the din. Gregori Chad Petree, her romantic partner in crime feels entropy setting in on his soul too. Midway through the song the twosome merges to create divine shared harmony. Chalk up one for the camp which claims a problem shared is a problem halved. Their voices blend seamlessly as two pieces of the same puzzle finally in the right place right time, ready to stage a jail break. Not everything about this record beats a path back to the "us vs. them" story. "Speaking Japanese" leaves nothing to the imagination and that's a wonderfully catchy thing. Sounds like Gregori went out back and rammed some rough edges into his guitar to come up with a blunt uncompromising salvo of notes. Don't be scared, though. In this 3:08 nugget this blunt instrument gives way to Carah joining the legion of coy women of danceable rock calling out to the fellas, "It's my body and you can't have this!" Whether you or your dance partner is drunk or sober the track is wickedly grinding. Shiny Toy Guns has the talent to pull off an aching piano ballad amidst the installation of synth mattresses. I wholeheartedly believe "Take Me Back To Where I Was" is one of the best songs here. No macho testosterone flexing. No complex arrangement threatening to collapse under the burden of its own ambition. At this point one suspects the band has outgrown the club circuit. However, "Take" has the solace fountain jacked up to overflowing. It wouldn't be out of place on the set list for a humble piano player pouring his heart out for chump change. Gregori's decision not to sugarcoat how severely his heartstrings have been yanked on is commendable. Not only that, it's the chief reason explaining why the song has the power to slice through the most jaded, romance-opposed folks. The other song that no reviewer worth a lick should leave out of the Shiny Toy Guns discussion if he is giving shout outs to top drawer songcraft is "If I Lost You". If you can envision a vintage '80s Depeche Mode song only there's a female vocalist writhing in the displeasure that comes with knowing you're separated from the person who as Tom Cruise declared in Jerry Maguire "completes you" then you get the drift. Everything about this song sets the stage for a prime '80s New Wave flashback. Were you into prime mopey Cure? Did you marvel at the space alien hirsute Flock of Seagulls? You'll need to get a deep enough bucket to corral the drool that's going to fall once "Lost" permeates your eardrums. This is perfectly orchestrated '80s era synthpop. The angst quotient soars. The synthesizers keep the song blasting along the rails. Even the a-capella haze at the close will have you forgetting it's not 1984 anymore. Mikey Martin attacks the drum kit with relentless relish. Jeremy Dawson's bass mixes dark elements with a slick "I'm always watching you at every turn" aura of self-satisfaction. In our pop culture, projects with Roman numerals attached to them generally indicate sequels (Superman II, Rocky IV, etc...). It would be an inexcusable mistake to commit that crime with "iii". All the pieces gel to make an outstanding whole which deserves to stand alone as a artistic contribution of impressive individual merit.