TOY

London band Toy are the latest musical act from the UK to cross the Atlantic on a tidal wave of hype, although it isn't the first time for most of the group. Three quarters of the line-up used to be in the equally unfortunately named Joe Lean & the Jing Jang Jong four years ago, although their debut album was pulled by the record company just before it was due to be released. This time, however, there's some solider talent backing it up. Toy have shown impeccable taste when it comes to selecting the influences they're going to borrow heavily from. There's plenty of Joy Division's doom mixed in with hypnotic Krautrock beats and swirling, psychedelic guitars. And the time that the band spent hanging out with the Horrors paid off as well, as Toy have managed to jump past their embryonic days and make a debut that sounds more like a comfortable third album, in the best possible way. There's definitely a familiarity to their sound, but once you get past the derivativeness of it all, there's much to like about Toy. Admittedly, it would have benefitted from the inclusion of their first single, "Left Myself Behind," simply because it had an immediacy that much of the album lacks, but that's a minor complaint. This is a record that's high on atmosphere and makes a solid case for the UK delivering a band that actually lives up to the accompanying hype.