The Toads In the Wilderness LP
While Billy Gardner isn’t busy bringing us notable acts like PARSNIP, CIVIC, and ALIEN NOSEJOB on his Melbourne based Anti-Fade label, he’s hard at work playing in bands such as the LIVING EYES, VERTIGO, and the TOADS. In the Wilderness is the debut from this latest project, and brings us be-jangled garage rock, punchy in-your-face-bass, pure rock’n’roll lead guitar riffs, with some JOHN CALE-esque poetry lines sprinkled in, like on “The Wandering Soul.” This is tambourine-shaking fun, puts a smile on my face, yet doesn’t abandon social issues, like on the opener “Nationalsville” or “Sacred Books and the Damage Done.” Keep your eyes on this lot.