Every once in a while you'll hear a song and something just
clicks. You don't know why but there's a certain feeling of familiarity that
comes over you. You feel comfortable and confident in what you're hearing and
that's the way I felt when I first heard Toro Y Moi's opening track "Blessa" 5
months ago.
Toro Y Moi is Chaz Bundick, a 23-year-old from South Carolina who just released Causers Of This on Carpark Records. The internet hype has been slowly gathering and with "Blessa" making top song lists all over hipster sites, it was only a matter of time before word spread about the music of Toro Y Moi.
The opening track "Blessa" was everything I had hoped for. I don't believe in telling people what I think the song means, or what I think the artist meant, so I won't go there, that's for you to decide. But the song itself gives off a dream-like quality with a hazy underwater feel and Chaz's lyrics are slightly distorted and echoed so when you hear, "I see the wind blow into my shins," it only adds to the outdoorsy beach feel that's been beautifully created. The album isn't all ‘low-fi' or ‘low-glo' or whatever they're calling it now. "Imprint After" shows Chaz's piano and synth skill in a dance pop while rolling through the lyrics, "Why did you want to come back to me? Was it cause I didn't want to leave you?"
"Lissoms" is the fourth track and, to me, this is where the record starts to get a little dark. "Lissoms" is an electronic instrumental that leads into "Fax Shadow," a very dark, erratic, cut and drop song. The beat is constantly falling in and out, and it gives you an uneasy feeling with lyrics like, "I don't want to know about him and how he was in your shadow." You can't help but feel unnerved and uncomfortable.
The next four songs are all blended together and are the high point of the album for me. "Thanks Vision" has an upbeat dance vibe, but once again with the lyrics, "Doesn't matter, does it?" asked in a hopeless and confused manner, it makes you think, is this more than just a dance track? And it doesn't get any brighter in the next one, "Freak Love," which I have to say is the highlight of the record for me, although it might be the darkest song on the album. When I first heard it, I thought I fell into the mind of J Dilla and he was having a nightmare. The constant drops of sound with tumbling beats that roll into each other make you feel like you're falling down a hole in slow motion while, "I'm sorry if I don't have faith in you," is being slightly spoken. It effortlessly turns into "Talamak," which is more of an upbeat synth dance song with, of course, dark undertones.
The album closes on the title track, "Causers Of This," and like the rest of the album it comes off with an 80s style dance sound and ends with the lyrics, "It's cause I've been alone. This is what I feel." Fortunately Mr. Bundick, if you keep making music like this, you won't be alone for very long.
Toro Y Moi has another full length LP due out in August that will be more alternative rock, than electronic.
You can purchase Causers Of This via Itunes or from Insound.
Tour Dates:
2/5 Durham,
NC; The Duke Coffee
House
2/25 Brooklyn,
NY; Famous Friends Party @
Cameo
2/26 Haverford, PA;
Haverford College
- Lunt Basement
2/27 Fredrick,
MD; Café Nola
3/12
Santa Barbara, CA; Muddy Waters
3/13 La Jolla, CA; UCSD - The Loft
3/14 Phoenix, AZ; Rhythm Room
3/15 Tucson, AZ; Plush
3/17 - 3/20 Austin, TX; SXSW
3/22 Atlanta, GA; Drunken Unicorn
3/23 Chapel Hill, NC; Local 506
3/24 Washington, DC; Black Cat
3/25 Philadelphia, PA; Kung Fu Necktie
3/26 Brooklyn, NY; Brooklyn Bowl
3/27 Cambridge, MA; Middle East
3/28 Winooski, VT; The Monkey House
3/29 Montreal, QC; Il Motore
3/30 Toronto, ONT; The Drake Hotel
3/31 Chicago, IL; Schubas
4/02 St. Paul, MN; Turf Club
4/03 Lawrence, KS; Jackpot Saloon
4/05 Denver, CO; Hi Dive
4/06 Salt Lake City, UT; Kilby Court
4/07 Nampa, ID; Flying M Coffee
4/08 Seattle, WA; Chop Suey
4/09 Vancouver, BC; Biltmore
4/10 Portland, OR; Mississippi Studios
4/12 San Francisco, CA; Bottom of the Hill
4/13 San Luis Obispo, CA; SLO Arts Center
4/14 Los Angeles, CA; The Echo
