Hooded Fang: Tosta Mista
Posted on 10 January 2012 by Bowlegs
You’ll instantly notice that this record is only 22-minutes long. In a whirlwind you’d think 1960s garage record, and how their disposability made them the unparalleled objects they were back then.
Big Blue i starts off like tradition surf rock, though with some curious synthesiser elements. It’s a teasing introduction to what awaits you next. You think you’re being treated to a swirl of Fuzzbox and Abe Vigoda when the first 27-seconds of Clap rears into view. But it loses form, reverting back to the eerie-pop intro/chorus. It’s schizophrenic and you end up wanting to take home the fun “ooooh-ooooh-ooooh” bits and jilt the half-cocked crooning.
ESP is more like it. The prowess of the surf arrangement shows off to a useful effect and nearly engenders a tummy hop, especially at the synth-splattered wig out. The title track is like ESP. It’s terrific as a harmonised mini-masterpiece, complete with a spring-heeled duet.
When I first listened to Jubb I hated it. I didn’t know why. But then it hooks you on in later listens. As they say in trade, it’s a slow-burner and a bit of the bully when it wants to be.
Den of Love could either have been called Sea of Love or Earth Angel. I’ll let you draw your own conclusion to that observation. It’s a shame as the vocals hit you like a demented rivet gun.
Tosta Mista is a rare contemporary record. It lets itself down when the seams reveal themselves, but it’s red hot when Hooded Fang get down to playing. Garage pop doesn’t suit an unstructured vocal – what a singer says and how they say it has to tease out the passion from the music. This is what makes you bop. If Daniel Lee just mumbled throughout the seven tracks that have vocals, then this would get a straight ten. Musically Tosta Mista could be an antidote to the perils of a foreboding winter. Dancing keeps you warm after all.
-Michael Cornin-
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