Hailing from the same Northampton scene as the amazing Tanaou, labelmates One Toy Soldier are already making waves with new album ‘Concrete Smiles at the Midnight Hospital Diner’. Whereas Tanaou manage to mix the magical with subtlety, OTS are a little more upfront in their quest for melodic goodness. Mixing up elements of bands like Jimmy Eat World and Mineral, the four-piece have written a number of sparkling songs that make up the majority of this long player. For me what separates out OTS from many other bands in this ilk are the wonderfully warm vocals – the three-way parts sound lush and, when bassist Sarah joins in the fray, the boy/girl harmonies add plenty to proceedings.
‘Needles The Miracle Boy’ and ‘This Soldier Is Not A Toy‘ are cracking little tracks, although over the course of the full album I did find myself losing interest a little, with songs blending into one another ever-so-slightly. None of the songs are particularly bad, but some are far better than others. OTS are at their best when they’re chopping and changing with riffs that buzz off the other instruments – the At The Drive In references I’ve read aren’t really all that appropriate, although that style of music is present at times. ‘Concrete Smiles at the Midnight Hospital Diner’ isn’t so much essential listening, but it’s certainly worth listening to – OTS are a bright light in the UK scene and deserve some support.
www.myspace.com/onetoysoldier
Bravestar
Paul