ISLAND OF THE MISFIT TOYS

In 1999, Georgian "neo progressive rock" outfit Timothy Pure released their third album. ISLAND OF THE MISFIT TOYS is a concept piece that deals with issues of "otherness" and belonging, innocence and childhood, honour and betrayal, and adolescence and sexual awakening. Timothy Pure handle these weighty themes with intelligence, taste and sensitivity, and marry their thoughtful lyrics with accessible music that tends to be laid-back, atmospheric, and evocative.

That overall "laid-back" feel, however, is one of the very factors that prevent me from awarding this nonetheless good CD a higher rating. The music is pleasant, as are the vocals, but I would have wished for more variety and dynamics in both. For me, the "feel" of the album invites comparisons to SKYLARKING-era XTC, but without those English pop wizards' trademark humour and charisma. Some tracks, such as "Tribes," "Channels" and "Misha Superhero" (see the download of the latter here) are musically harder-hitting, but on the whole, the material does not always hold my interest.

That failure to consistently capture my attention brings me to what I believe to be ISLAND OF THE MISFIT TOYS' other significant weakness: with fourteen tracks, and almost seventy minutes running time, it is simply too long for its own good. I suppose that bands and producers often feel that, given the modern CD's eighty-minute capacity, they should "give buyers their money's worth," and strive to fill almost the entire disc. This can be a boon to the consumer if the product is of a consistently high/engaging quality, but it can also lead to "padding," and "bloating," as what would have made a solid forty-minute, ten-track album is extended well beyond its optimal length.

I feel that this is the case here -- I find it somewhat burdensome to get through this disc in a single session, and believe that the album could have been more immediate and effective if it had been "tightened up."

Next time out (assuming the band is still extant -- five years is a long time between releases), I'd like to see Timothy Pure adopt a more focused approach, with less "fat and filler." I also feel that they would benefit from a more frequently impassioned delivery of their music and vocals.

Those criticisms stated, I still feel that ISLAND OF THE MISFIT TOYS is a fine effort from a talented and intelligent band, and thus worthy of consideration for your prog collection.