This is the 3rd studio album from American Rock/Alt band shiny toy guns, this album sees lead singer Carah Faye Charnow rejoin the band after absence, after she left the band in 2007. The band had 2 non studio versions of the album ‘we are pilots’ before getting signed with Universal Records and making the 3rd and final version of We Are Pilots. They got a Grammy Nod and nominated for best dance/electro album(but lost out to the chemical brothers) After this do to differences within the band they changed lead singers to Sisely Treasure for the album Seasons of Poison (but not before appearing as ‘the shinys’ on American kids TV show Yo Gabba Gabba) Seasons of Poison reached 17 in the USA Alt charts with single Ricochet! Although not taken as well with original fans of STG it was a more commercially successful album. Over the last two albums STG have featured in many TV shows, commercials, Films and advertisements as well as compilation albums.
Sit back and read the first Shiny Toy Guns III review. By what the bands describes as- “Shiny Toy Guns are back to their four essential parts, with “III” serving as a document of what friends who’ve been through the wars can achieve.”
Somewhere to Hide- A great uplifting start to the new album with a great stadium ready chorus and strong electro melody with the standard STG guitars and drums still making a very pleasing accompaniment to the vocals and synths.
Waiting Alone- Featured on a video project #loverunner depicted lead singer Carah Faye Charnow running 4000 miles across america from Hollywood to Brooklyn for her ‘true love’ the video was the visual interpretation of the song. This was the fans first real experience of the new album and the re formulation of the original line up. It remains an iconic STG song and has resonating sounds from the original STG albums and the more recent more electronic songs.
Carrie- Very stadium pop style number, with the undercurrent of traditional STG. it hammers right in with a drum heavy intro. This one is very vocal and beat heavy though the verse- until you hit a great sing along chorus. Chad belts out Carrie over the great music track. It does have that resonanting feel of the old STG albums but without the depth and base.
If I Lost You- Synth heavy once again with twisting and entwining vocals from both Chad and Carah. With nice repetitive lyrics ‘I don’t know I would do if I lost you’ you get the feeling this is a song about the band getting back together, reforming and reshaping into this new yet very familiar STG line up. It sa nice song but one of the weaker ones on the album.
Speaking Japanese- A heart racing fast paced electro rock along the vein as Ricochet and Ghost town this song has far more likeness with the Seasons of Poisson era of STG, but with the chemistry from We are Pilots
Mercy- Starting with haunting vocals and a far more organic sounding keyboard that is a nice refreshing change from the so far very synth heavy album. This song reminds you why they are still an Electro/ Rock band with a song that builds the tension as it continues through verse and chorus, until we are dropped in to silences before a far more harmonious ending
Wait 4 Me- This song flows on directly from the last, with hushed vocals over a post apocalyptic sound scape over a bed of synth. Once the song gets going it is almost a ballad with the honey dipped voice of Carah and vocals from lead male vocalist Chad. You can hear the innocents and feeling of exposure in Carahs voice, as she is talked at by Chad. The lyrics themselves read like a poem/ story, with Chad as the Higher-being to Carah. It is a very different track to any we have heard before on any STG album, this doesn’t make it un-enjoyable just maybe uncomfortable midway through an album.
Fading Listening- Nice slow lounge feel to it until the vocals kick in and give it a nice midsummer day feel. You can almost feel the sun on your face as you close your eyes and lean back onto the grass of some nice park, in the summer vacation! This is again something we maybe haven’t seen for STG before but something most enjoyable. This also feels like a very 80’s inspired track, you can almost feel your shoulder pads growing and blazer sleeve rising.
The Sun- Another great studio/ stadium rock song with the nice electro melody running through it.
e v a y- Starting of with a longer intro than most other tracks on the III album, from the get go you can feel the big sing -a-long aspect to this track. Its going to be the one you love singing at the top of your lungs while watching the band.
Take Me Back to Where I Was- the last track on any album is always difficult to pick, do you go for something that leave the listener stunned and amazed the best till last? or do you play it safe and do as tradition dictates and put the slower songs near the back? As it happens we have a rather interesting ballad sung to a single piano and very very slight synths. the first line ‘moving forward, far away from your wing ‘ sums a lot about the band and where they have been and are going.
The album flows well and you do feel as if you have been on the same 3 year journey as the band though the album. It has its ups and downs but ultimately STG are back, and that comes across in the album like the pieces of a jigsaw are being put back together after a long time apart. Just like We Are Pilots none of the tracks are bad, some stand out more than others and are definite ‘single realise’ tracks compared to other more album based tracks. As a whole it feels like the album doesn’t have enough base to it- where We are Pilots on full make your chest rumble and the floor shake, this doesn’t quite go that far. This is the second album fans wanted with Carah back in lead vocals and now part of the creative circle of the band.
Noteworthy Tracks – Waiting Alone, Speaking Japanese, Carrie
Track that may not be so Hot- e v a y, If I lost you, Take me back to where I was
Sum it up in 1 line! – Its good, as individual tracks or as a whole album- its great to hear the original sound of the band back together, it not quite the revolution of We Are Pilots but its damn good!
4.5 / 5
Shiny Toy Guns new studio album III is available from the 23rd October
No Flash Photography 