the 31 best of 2008 – 17: Shiny Toy Guns – Season of Poison

This is one of those albums that I had such high hopes for, that no matter what was on it, chances are, it would have let me down; except, it didn’t. The news that they had released a new single a few months back made me extremely excited, because there hasn’t been so much as a peep from the Shiny Toy Guns camp since way back in 2006, when they released the THIRD iteration of their amazing debut, We Are Pilots.I LOVED We Are Pilots, and it ended up near the top of my records of the year for 2006, so needless to say, I was pretty excited about a follow up being released this year.

Well, after hearing Ricochet, the lead off single from Season of Poison,I was sort of confused. Having seen them live, I knew that they were much “harder” than their debut record let on, but the song seemed way too “metal” after my initial listen. However, after I gave it a few listens, it really started to sink in, THIS was the essence of Shiny Toy Guns; just more layered, and much more energetic (much like their live show). After listening a couple of times, I was HOOKED to this amazing track, and I saw what I loved in Shiny Toy Guns in the first place; the electronic rock is clear and present on Season of Poison, only they have turned the amplifier up to 11 this time around.

Once it was released, the rest of the album did not disappoint me either, and after only one listen, I was pleased (again, high hopes… whew!). Yet, this is definitely one of those records that you should force yourself to listen to many, many times, because you will discover intricacies and subtleties that you would miss on one passing listen. While I liked it the first time around, it was love after a few more, well focused listens. I have to say, that Shiny Toy Guns will definitely make some new fans with their amped up sound, and while they may alienate a few others that preferred their more pop-centered sensibility, this fan is in for the duration of the ride. There are plenty of songs that are true to the Shiny Toy Guns sound, and the introduction of the newer, volume-at-11 more “metal” sounding stuff is truly a way that they have captured much of what their amazing live show possesses.

These guys have been through a line up change, and have tweaked their sound towards the louder, harder end of their spectrum, but they have turned out another fantastic album with Season of Poison. I am sure that some people were worried about the departure of the lead female vocalist, but her replacement steps in differently, but perfectly, and compliments the male vocalist completely (which was a hallmark of the STG sound). Also, it should be noted, that they did not completely depart from their previous sound; there are plenty of well crafted pop songs on Season of Poisonthat would have fit perfectly amongst the tracks on We Are Pilots (in fact, they included Turned To Real Life, which actually was on one of the three iterations of We Are Pilots).As a fan of the band, I am more than pleased that there was NO “sophomore slump” (er… senior slump?) for Shiny Toy Guns; as they have simply polished their sound, and in the process, came back harder, and just as strong as ever.

Sparkle Factor:
Stand Outs: Ricochet! [audio:http://www.duanemoody.com/audio/fsf_1024_shinytoyguns-ricochet.mp3]
I Owe You A Love Song, When Did This Storm Begin, Season of Love, Money For That.