MUSIC REVIEW: Toy Matinee - Toy Matinee

"Music doesn't get any better."

Toy Matinee is really nothing more than a highly sophisticated pop record, although its sublime excellence goes far beyond anything like it. Kevin Gilbert and Patrick Leonard have an unmatched sense of melody and canny pop sensibility, and -- with plenty of diversity from song to song -- they've whipped up the perfect album. I find this album's greatness impossible to express. Quite simply, the ears hear what words cannot describe. The English language would need countless synonyms for "great," but it wouldn't be enough.

I'd like to say more, but little comes to mind. Every song offers here something different and exciting, and every facet of the album is flawless. It's well-composed, well-crafted, clever, charming, and...perfect. Certainly one of the best albums I own.

(Note: Kevin Gilbert was by far one of the most gifted musicians around, and his untimely death is truly a loss to the world. Check out Gilbert's other albums, Thud and The Shaming of the True, the former being great and the latter being an unequivocal masterpiece.)