Toby Richardson - Evergreen

I'm surprised that more people haven't been talking about Toby Richardson. Take some of the bluesy aspects of Captain Beefheart and mix it with some 90's college rock sensibilities and you've got the Toby Richardson sound. Fuzzed out lo-fi classic rock is the order of the day, and Toby pulls off this slight 60's pastiche with panache.

Residing in Perth, he became mildly familiar to scenesters as part of the already established band Mustang! in the mid 90's. Since branching out on his own, he released what has been described as a 6 track lo-fi opus 'Golden Days' in 2006. Now he's signed to Hidden Shoal Recordings and his new CD 'Evergreen' has been recently released, with the first single 'Wherewithal' receiving quite a bit of radio recognition in his hometown. Another standout on the album is 'Booragoon Lagoon,' a cacophony of battling feedback laced guitar rock and slightly muffled vocals creating a sound straight out of the 60's blues rock revolution. 'Daylight' is the closest thing to a pop song on the album, containing all the necessary hooks but still keeping them slightly hidden beneath more fuzz, and more intense sound. By the time you reach the last song, it's hard not to feel slightly overwhelmed as it is such an exaggerated sound, but that doesn't mean that you won't want to simply take a break, and start over again, as its exaggeration is laced with an addictive quality that will have you coming back for more.

Download: Wherewithal mp3
Stream: The entire 'Evergreen' CD here.
Myspace: Toby Richardson
Purchase: 'Evergreen' can be purchased at Hidden Shoal Recordings