Review Summary: Their breakthrough, Fear is a major step forward for Toad The Wet Sprocket. Released in an amazing year for records, it is often overlooked and underestimated. They show themselves to be incredibly good songwriters with a diverse array of sounds, textur
I have two problems with the already existing review: first, that this album is somehow grunge-inspired; and second, that Phillips is a middle-aged and mediocre vocalist.
Toad the Wet Sprocket (Toad) first released an album in 1989 with Bread and Circus. At that time, they were 18. Fear is the second album they released after B&C, and was recorded in January 1991. That puts Phillips at around 20-21 years of age and his voice never sounds middle-aged so I don't know where that's coming from. It's a clean singing voice and there is rarely flourish, but it's far from mediocre. He connects with you as the listener and that's far different from a mediocre singer who simply labors to hit all the right notes. Despite his nuanced performance he is a very memorable vocalist.
The grunge explosion arguably takes off sometime after the release of Smells Like Teen Spirit, which was in September 1991. Therefore, this album is very unlikely to be grunge-influenced in any way. As you listen to it, you will hear jangle-pop with some more distorted guitar textured in. That's a change for Toad, but it's a natural progression and the new texture is worked to maximum dramatic effect in every song. This is - in no way, shape, or form - not an album that sounds remotely like grunge. It's simply the sound of Toad plugging in for a significant part of the record. Yes, all the bands in the 90s amplified their sound in response to the grunge movement, but I would argue that Toad actually did it before grunge exploded.
Now I'll review it.
I'll probably refer to the previous record - 1990's Pale - a lot. That album is a classic you should hear if you haven't already. Recorded 12 months after Pale's release, Toad has come a long way in that short time. Their previous two records are characterized by emotionally complicated indie jangle with Pale in particular standing out as an essential work full of passion and inspiration despite it's generally downbeat content. Fear, in contrast, is much brighter and upbeat. There are more risks, more variation, and as I noted above they've plugged in and when they use the new guitar textures the results are extremely impressive.
A great example of the use how far they can go with these darker textures look to Stories I Tell, which masterfully incorporates a more aggressive approach to a low key song. Toad proves to be masters of dynamic tension, with a track that starts simple and builds to an aggressive bridge. Phillips may sing it straight, but he's got some flourish here, and even something of a bark in the more intense moments. They employ the dynamic tension technique shown here in other songs as well. I'm not saying they invented it, I'm just saying it's not derivitive of the bands around them.
Pray Your Gods. Vocally one of the few tracks that sounds more like the previous album in the quiet moments. They build it up with such subtle grace with unexpected touches, it's truly a sleepy triumph.
Nightingale Song. So loose, it's almost not even a song. Just a kick drum, some jangling, and Phillips' voice clear and welcome as a bucket of cold water on a hot day. Try and listen to this three times and see if you don't want to sing along. It's so memorable that I'll be singing it tomorrow now that I've listened to it today.
In My Ear. A song that is more in line with Toad's general mission statement, of hooky and well-crafted pop music. If you liked the two biggest hits from this album, you might like this one even more than those two.
It's no joke that there are songs on this album that should be on every 90s compilation, those would be All I Want and Walk on the Ocean, which you've probably heard a million times if you were alive in the early 1990s. However, in my view, the songs that truly define what's happening in the studio are those I've mentioned: Pray Your Gods, Nightingale Song, In My Ear, Hold Her Down and Stories I Tell. The two hits show that Toad is are pop songwriters to be reckoned with, these last five I mentioned that without pop hits in their repertoire they'd still be incredible.
It should be noted that the "weak" (those I didn't mention) tracks on this record are only off the mark by slivers. All the tracks are solid, some are better than others, but as an album it's very memorable. I got it as a $9 cassette tape originally, and later as a $15 CD, and it's some of the best money I've ever spent.
Absolute minimum four and a half stars. I give it five.
