12 Stone Toddler - Does it Scare You? (Amazon)
3/5
A gravy of praise has been slopped all over the face of 12 Stone Toddler in relation to this, their first full length outing, and while I'm not saying it's undeserved - there really are some nuggets of Burton-esque sing-a-long fanfare within - there's a tiny hammer of unease that hits my praise gland when trawling through this twelve track carnival; that it was done in a more spectacular and accomplished fashion over ten years ago by California clown-core musical stalwarts Mr. Bungle.
Accusations of shameless plagiarism aside (listen opposite a slice of 'None of Them Knew They Were Robots' to enlighten); there is an almost palpable tenacity leaking from these grotesque nursery rhymes. Imposing carousel flourishes often give way to genuinely enthralling 80's Matchbox B-Line Disaster style riffery, and while there is often a void in the heart of the songs - see the opener 'Come Back!' for a deflating example - the tight composition and eagerness to gather ideas shines through and holds the whole product together, albeit tenuously.
So, brimming with self consciously playful hooks and the occasional moment of sonic wizardry, 'Does it Scare You?' is rich in theory, but ends up as unchallenging toy-shop quirk rock that owes more than the sum of its parts to Mike Patton's delightfully superfluous musical outlets than it does to 12 Stone Toddler's B-movie energy that squirts through in abundance.
Stream four tracks from 'Does it Scare You?' HERE.
Artists in this article: 12 Stone Toddler
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