REVIEW: Joydrop, Metasexual (Tommy Boy)
- Jason Cahill
In analytical terms, Metasexual, the debut album from Toronto's Joydrop, could easily be labeled as textbook schizophrenia. At times, the album is both lush and hypnotic. At others, it is choppy, disjointed and inexplicably arresting.
Joydrop claim themselves to be "first and foremost a rock band", but that description can be a bit constricting, as fledgling bands strive towards what they consider to be - the quintessential rock sound. More often than not, however, the resulting sound can be derivative as bands wear their influences on their sleeves, their shirts and wherever else they can showcase them.
On "Fizz", the opening track on Metasexual, Joydrop seems to just be begging for comparisons to Elastica. The song is catchy enough, but cluttered with samples and drum loops - not to mention some of the most nonsensical lyrics this side of Soul Coughing. "Spiders", a hard-edged rocker, seems awkward, placing most of its emphasis on overly aggressive guitars and samples, completely pushing Joydrop's best asset, their vocalist, into the distant background.
But remove the clutter and strip the songs down to the basics, and Metasexual really shines. "Beautiful", the album's first single, is an example of minimalist splendor. Pensive and quiet, the song showcases lead singer Tara Slone's powerful, yet fragile voice. Once too often, however, the song gains momentum, only to eventually culminate in periodic and unnecessary bursts of industrial feedback and sampling. Despite the occasional bit of over-production, "Beautiful" remains both the finest song on Metasexual, as well as one of the year's most exciting discoveries. "Breakdown" is a lush and richly orchestrated tune with a string section that gives the song added dimension. "Dream Today" and "If I Forget" are two other standouts that blend Slone's unique voice with rich melodies and evocative lyrics.
The downside, of course, to creating an album filled with highly accessible tunes is that it probably won't be long before they show up on any number of shows on the WB. Note - the quickest way to ruin perfectly good pop songs is to have them conjure images of Felicity Porter walking despondently down a lonesome New York City street.
In all, it's erratic, slightly over-produced and rough around the edges, but when stripped down to its core, Metasexual is a truly impressive effort.
