To start this review I should point out that I have chosen the genre 'Rock' only because there isn't an option for 'Pop/Americana/Psychedelia/Rock/Spoken Word/Alternative' - just wanted to let you know before we got started!
The next thing I want to tell you is that no matter who you are and what music you like, you've never heard anything like Tommy Tokyo & Starving For My Gravy, ever...
Their startlingly effective mix of ALL the aformentioned styles makes you wonder why everyone else records music that fits in just one or two genre brackets. It also suggests that major labels operating overseas aren't afraid to shake things up a little bit; TT&SFMG are as far removed as you can get from Scouting For Girls and The Ting Tings and I think the quality of this album proves there's a lesson here for the big boys in the UK to learn from.
That's not to say that these guys can expect to sell as many records as either of those artists but it's great to see someone with some industry clout championing something that's more than 'a little bit edgy'.
The lyrics are what makes this album so memorable, with song titles such as 'Exploitation Picket Fence' and 'Abraham's Hat' hinting at what to expect from the vocals accompanied by the press release's fantastic image of the heavily-bearded Tommy Tokyo before the CD even made it to my stereo I was expecting strange and brilliant things.
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I was not disappointed as the album opener, 'Exploitation Picket Fence' rumbled into life, instantly grabbing my attention before launching into the almost Beach Boys-esque vocal onslaught of 'The Circle Must Be Broken', which has probably the best lyrics of the whole album. The song opens with a huge Beach Boys/Gospel Choir vocal harmony of 'OH, the circle must be broken, must be broken!' before reverting to a disjointed, bouncing honky-tonk piano and a deliciously peculiar anglo-norwegian 'rap'.
Other highlights include the George Bush-bashing 'Abraham's Hat', 'Derail & Demise' and closing track, 'Let Us Pray'.
It's safe to say of Tommy Tokyo & Starving For My Gravy that it's not going to be your Mum or your Gran's cup of tea but there's something here for everyone with an open mind and anyone with an 'eclectic' pallette should definitely give this lot a listen!
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