The some what unusual sounds of Six Toes are wholly befitting of their moniker in that it that they are both non-threatening and familiar and yet at the same time distinctly odd and a little bit disturbing.
While I hasten to add there is not anything overtly shocking about Six Toes, there is something slightly peculiar about their beguiling and haunting melodies. Perhaps this is the effect of having recorded the album in some quite unusual locations including the old warder’s quarters in Holloway prison.

There is something distinctly understated about Six Toes, a band seemingly content to impress the listener with their gentle, melodic style rather than being over dramatic and sensational. Stand out tracks for me include the quiet yet memorable opening track Trick of the Night with it’s soothing yet catchy chorus and Four Leaved Clover which offers up a particularly soft and melodious, soothing mix of vocal harmony over a softly picked guitar and sighing strings.

The dual vocals and haunting melodies of guitarists Ben Rogers and David Greenep put me in mind at times of some of System of a Down’s quieter numbers, while the slightly unusual and shuffling arrangements of the songs suggested more than a hint of the influence of Tom Waits in place, particularly in the vocals of Chicken and Reggae Song.

Overall the album never offers up anything more lively than a gentle melodious shuffle on the majority of its ten tracks, however this is no bad thing. Six Toes’ debut offering is both distinctive and unusual without being too pretentious and inaccessible to the casual listener.

By Adam Tolladay

Format: Album
Rating:7/10
Release Date:1/12/08
Label: Toe Music
www.myspace.com/sixtoes1