Gumshoe Strut

It's been more than two years since the Gumshoe Strut stepped out with a solo album, but he's back with a new EP, offered as either a hard copy or free download through Marathon of Dope. Often up-tempo and catchy, the album deals with the weary and worn down, as might be expected of music recorded while recovering from an awful infection. At eight tracks, Too Long In The Tooth might be short, but it's completely lacking in filler, from head nodding opening track "Never Saw It Coming," which deals with the human meat grinder, to slow, minimal album closer "Time To Blow Up," about being self-destructive. "On The Move" is a slamming track over which the Gumshoe lyrically struts and "The Haunted Painting" draws inspiration from those ever-watchful Scooby Doo paintings, while Rob Crooks joins in on the nostalgic, back-in-the-day "Back Then" and Birdapres lends his blue-collar hip-hop blues to semi-ode "The City." However, the highlight is "Redrum," an infectious, horror-movie-quoting track anchored by a great sample from Mike Oldfield's epic "Five Miles Out." "Redrum" may stand above the rest, but Too Long In the Tooth is an easy EP to listen to front to back and then all over again. It's a great argument for less is more.