REVIEWS:
Self described as a cross between Robert Frost and Led Zeppelin, Tonic's music isn't all that far off from that comparison, although their intimate acoustic work and nature-inflected poetics don't really hold a candle to either in terms of power. Still, they hit it big with a couple hit singles from their debut Lemon Parade, "Open Up Your Eyes" and the powerful "If You Could Only See". Their sophomore album Sugar featured another strong lead single, "You Wanted More".
--Nick Karn
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COMMENTS
[email protected] (Andrew McQuillan)
I'm glad Tonic made it big but not too big to be lumped with the Third Eye Blinds of the world.
(reviewed by Nick Karn)
Tonic's debut album has a good amount of promising songwriting, as its' best songs have truly ear-catching hooks that have more depth and staying power than many of their contemporaries. "If You Could Only See" is the finest example of this, a great display of heartbroken emotion lyrically and vocally with electric and acoustic guitars merging perfectly together. "Soldier's Daughter" has a soft, folky intro and builds up to a fabulously breathtaking chorus with a striking melody and riff blending seamlessly, while "Casual Affair", "Wicked Soldier" and "Celtic Aggression" really rock out with a great fury. The Celtic-influenced ballad "Mountain" (which is a good example of their signature sound) closes the first half and is also very strong. The rest of the album seems kind of half-baked and lackluster - opening track and lead single "Open Up Your Eyes" is dull and generic, "Thick" and "Lemon Parade" are overly sappy romantic songs, and "Mr. Golden Deal", "Bigot Sunshine" and "My Old Man" are the kind of songs that just don't leave any kind of impression after they're over. Like I said, though, the best of this material is very promising, it's just not all the way consistent with noticeable songwriting holes.
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