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Shiny Toy Guns
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Artist Listing: A - F G - R S - Z
Line-up:
Jeremy Dawson : synths | bass guitar
Gregori Chad Petree : lead vocals | guitar
Mikey Martin : drums
Sisely Treasure : lead vocals
Carah Faye Charnow : vocals | bass guitar (2004 -2008)

"Shiny Toy Guns really can do no wrong. They're like the cool kid that joins school half-way through first term only to ensue envy in all their classmates."
-- Alex Nunn, musicomh.com, 8/07

"Often bands utilizing a predominantly electronica sound can appear cold and almost clinical onstage, but the band inject such intense passion into their live set, it really is a sight to behold. "
-- Alex Davis, designermagazine.tripod.com, 7/06

 Shiny Toy Guns Discography - Album / CD Reviews

***¾ 2005: We Are Pilotsaudio

"As the first track, You Are The One, bursts into my ears, I’m immediately reminded of Placebo crossed with AFI, leaning over a whole lot more to the electro-pop genre, with both male and female vocals thrown into the mix. It’s highly danceable, and very catchy. The next track, Le Disko is a feisty floor-stomper with a thumping bassline, a generous pinch of Europop cheese, and a smouldering, but not overly sexy, female vocal. Don’t Cry Out! is another great ear-catcher of the album – genuinely addictive, with some killer hooks and a good deal of Pet-Shop-Boys-style echoes thrown in. The two singers utter the lyrics with a confident defiance that snatches your attention and sits on it until the end of the album. I’m told that Shiny Toy Guns have almost broken songwriting down into a science, studying how parts of songs work together, and how they draw in empathy and catch in the listeners’ ears. If this is so, they’ve certainly got their hooks sorted; many of the songs on this album – headed by Le Disko and Don’t Cry Out! – certainly have the ability to cling on to your subconscious for a good few hours. There’s definitely a place there for Shiny Toy Guns and their electro-pop counterparts. With a hugely listenable and catchy debut album, and a reportedly great live performance, it’s a very good start."
-- wessexscene.co.uk, 3/07

***¼ 2008: Season of Poison

Tracklisting: 1. When Did This Storm Begin 2. Money For That 3. I Owe You A Love Song 4. Ghost Town 5. It Became A Lie On You 6. Ricochet! 7. Season Of Love 8. Poison 9. Blown Away 10. Turned To Real Life 11. Frozen Oceans

"Shiny Toy Guns' sophomore effort sheds some of the retro appeal that fueled the band's first record, 'We Are Pilots', in favor of a dark electronica/rock hybrid that recalls Evanescence and the melodic side of Linkin Park. Female singer Sisely Treasure makes her debut with the group, having replaced the departing Carah Faye Charnow several months before the album's release, and her vocals brim with the energy of an aggressive cheerleader. Such rhythmic scream/singing provides a nice contrast to Chad Petree, who handles the bulk of the album's melodic vocals. With Charnow out of the picture, this is undoubtedly Petree's band, and Treasure adds a fiery, sensual spark without hijacking the spotlight. Personnel changes notwithstanding, the biggest difference here is the band's decreased debt to the dancefloor, as they now rely more heavily on guitars and distortion pedals rather than synthesizers. Ghost Town flaunts a stomping, club-ready drumbeat before dissolving into a mainstream rock chorus, but tracks like Money for That and When Did This Storm Begin are more suited to headbanging than dance moves. When the bandmates decide to revisit the '80s-inspired sounds of their debut, as they do on I Owe You a Love Song, the results are decidedly mixed. The song bubbles with keyboard undercurrents, but the chorus relies too heavily on Petree's long, sustained high notes, which lose their luster after two key changes and nearly four minutes of repetitive hooks. 'Season of Poison' is bound to please fans of goth metal and electro-laced rock, and the gorgeous Frozen Oceans appealingly finishes the album with lush balladry. Even so, this seems like a slight stumble after 'We Are Pilots' strong start, although Shiny Toy Guns have yet to lose their momentum."
-- Andrew Leahey, All Music Guide
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Recommended links:

Shiny Toy Guns' official site
Shiny Toy Guns' on Myspace

 
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