SONGS, IDEAS WE FORGOT

TOE (usually stylized in all lowercase letters, thus toe) has become one of Japan's most significant hybrids of math rock and post-rock which showcases the blistering complexities of nerdy time signature-rich math rock with the pacifying stream of consciousness stylistic approach of its close cousin post-rock. The band began in 2000 Tokyo by Kashikura Takashi (drums), Mino Takaaki (guitar), Yamane Satoshi (bass guitar) and Yamazaki Hirokazu (guitar) and has reached a legendary status as one of Japan's leading "indie" bands.

While the band has become a legend for its two albums "The Book About My Idle Plot On A Vague Anxiety" and "For Long Tomorrow," TOE released two groundbreaking EPs soon after its formation beginning with this first one titled SONGS, IDEAS WE FORGOT. This EP was originally released with five tracks but over the years and subsequent releases has seen two extra tracks tagged onto the end making the overall playing time of the newer versions around 28 minutes of playing time.

TOE is revered for its drummer Kashikura Takashi who is the clear band leader with his idiosyncratic drumming style that delivers all the sophistication of a trained jazz drummer only set to the world of math rock which offers a solid foundation for the two guitarists and bassist who follow suit quite nicely. TOE has primarily been an all-instrumental band and that is certainly the case on SONGS, IDEAS WE FORGOT. In addition to the incessant drumming prowess of Takashi, this EP offers energetic performances that allow twin clean guitar riffing and beautiful bass tones with the occasional foray into some atmospheric constructs but basically this is a mere quartet delivering a set of beautifully designed math / post-rock tracks that focus on punchy rhythms and exquisite bright cheery tones.

In short it's well worth checking out these original EPs that led up to the band's full albums because the band pretty much started out as a fully functioning powerhouse that offered a unique stylistic approach and an above average competence of power housing the instrumentation through catchy yet intricately complex webs of rhythmic mazes that conspire to craft a very powerful band sound. Very few bands are capable of blending the more brutal aspects of math rock with the serene flow of post-rock but TOE seems to have the ability to do it with ease. An excellent beginning for one of Japan's top exports of outsider music.