tobyslater - consumption
when tobyslater was suggested to me by a friend i was a bit sceptical - especially when i was told that he was unsigned and doing everything himself, expecting lo-fi bedroom guitar pop at the best, i checked the website. very impressed. so i decided to dive in and check his stuff out.
this self released ep shows that tobyslater has a contact book to die for.
track one (consumption) is produced by mark 'spike' stent, and electronics by daniel pemberton. well mark stent aka 'madonnas producer' is a very well established producer, and daniel pemberton released one of my all time favourite ambient releases on the uber underground FAX label (called 'bedroom' which daniel recorded in his bedroom when he was 16!!), and, has since done many soundtracks to quality channel4 programmes.
then the music starts ...
hello by the beloved, its grim up north by the jamms, vogue by madonna
and now 'consumption'. the connection ? all the above, apart from all being great records are basically lists, and that is what the lyrics to consumption are. a full detailed list of all the worlds dominating corporations/logos. the track itself is superior powerpunkpop, with deft touches of electronica, found voices/samples. perfect for any decent radio show. i have listened to this track many times since receiving it. this is a blast of fresh air. obviously it'll never get a proper release as the accompanying video shows all the logo's of the mentioned corporations - some of which are subtly subverted - hello citibank. the rest of the ep doesn't quite reach the dizzy heights of the opener but are still damn fine guitar led powerpop. some people have too much talent.
definitely one to watch out for ...