After two years in the making, Toby Tune’s eleventh solo album is finally here, and with a title that was well worth the wait: “Elements of Substance”. This boundary-pushing instrumental record captures a broad spectrum of ambiences designed to soundtrack visual media creations, yet completely transcends that original purpose; each track’s unique atmosphere a joy to sink into even without the hypnosis of the TV, film and YouTube footage its composer had in mind.
The music alone is enough to spark myriad visuals in your mind’s eye; its imaginative flows inspiring nebulae of creative surprise in the listener as we’re led through the twists of Toby’s own inner workings. It’s worth mentioning that Toby Tune is a bit of a one-man-band, performing all music on this record except the cello featured in “Coming Home,” and composing all pieces except the upbeat and eerie “November.”
From the dreamy string-based album-opener “Seeking” to the acoustic pop strums of its magical closing piece, “Waltz Mountain,” Toby Tune verges on classical music without succumbing to its tired old habits, cherry-picking orchestral sounds and letting them evolve in his genre-defying modern soundscapes.
The minimalist “About Time” expands a simple idea with moving cinematics, before “Dark Times” disrupts the expected vibe completely, inviting hard beats and sharp staccatos into the mix. “Mallets” feels like taking an ice bath in a Caribbean retreat, while “Drifting” plunges its initial goth rock guitar tones into a soundpool of trap beats, harp arpeggios, sweeping string melodies and vague Eastern influences. “Coming Home” embodies a journey through countless inspirations, “Optimism” gradually clears the clouds of its ballad atmosphere, and the springtime mood of “Searching” plays in contrast to the almost gothic “Mando-Lin.” The fourteen-track album ends with the pieces “Wonderment,” “Strongman,” and the aforementioned “Waltz Mountain” – with “Strongman” marking one of Toby Tune’s favorite pieces on the record.
But is it worth a listen?
Absolutely. Toby Tune twines something for everyone into his expansive sound. And if you’re put off by the idea of checking out an ‘instrumental’ album, Toby’s unusual array of instrumental choices is proving as lyrical and awe-binding as words could ever be. It’s no wonder Elements of Substance is Toby Tune’s personal favorite release to date (and it’s certainly among our favorites, too). Our verdict: Highly Recommended.
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