Album Review
Toothless - The Pace of the Passing
3 StarsThere are undeniably some moments with serious bite.
Side-projects can sometimes go overlooked, but it’s pretty hard to ignore the high concept surrounding Bombay Bicycle Club bassist Ed Nash’s debut record as Toothless. Based around Charles and Ray Eames’ 1977 ‘Powers Of Ten’ film (which first looks at a couple before zooming out to interstellar proportions before focusing back on the pair), each song on ‘The Pace Of The Passing’ is meant to be a still from a movie, which eventually reveals itself to be made up of interconnected events.
Other than recognising a few astrological references here and there though, you could be forgiven for missing the interconnectedness of the songs. Not that this really matters too much. ‘The Pace Of The Passing’ is filled with intricate bursts of indie pop, sometimes embellishing its tracks with glassy percussion (‘Sisyphus’) or plucked strings (‘Palm’s Backside’). A wealth of guest vocalists, including Marika Hackman and Wild Beasts’ Tom Fleming, also help to give an added sense of scale, with The Staves’ sweet vocals on ‘The Sirens’ the perfect representation of those beguiling yet deadly mythological creatures.
But, in trying to represent a bigger picture, things do sometimes get overly complex. On ‘Alright Alright Alright,’ Ed’s delicate vocals become hard to pick up on underneath layers of riffs and drums. Then there’s ‘You Thought I Was Your Friend (I Want To Hurt You),’ which attempts to mash together almost Britpop guitar licks with a leftfield vocal performance. It’s a bit like listening to someone attempting to fit a round peg into a square hole. But while he might have occasionally bitten off a little more than he can chew, there’s still undeniably some moments with serious bite here.
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Toothless toasts the festive season on ‘Leave Take Lend’
Ed Nash's debut solo album 'The Pace Of The Passing' came out at the start of the year.
14th December 2017, 12:00am
Toothless and Marika Hackman share an acoustic video for ‘Palm’s Backside’
Ed Nash will also be heading off on a tour of the UK and Europe later this year.
19th July 2017, 12:00am
Biting back: Toothless
Ed Nash is stepping out of Bombay Bicycle Club’s shadow with his new project. Here, he discusses his debut album ‘The Pace Of The Passing’.
25th January 2017, 12:00am
Toothless’ debut album ‘The Pace of the Passing’ is out in January
Ed Nash has also shared new track ‘Sisyphus’.
25th November 2016, 12:00am
With Bob Vylan, St Vincent, girl in red, Lizzy McAlpine and more.