Search - Jeremy Toback :: Perfect Flux Thing

It's Tobackelicious!

Pop Kulcher | San Carlos, CA USA | 02/10/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"As most dedicated fans know, Jeremy Toback first made a name for himself touring the L.A. coffeehouse circuit playing nothing but introspective acoustic cover versions of Bay City Rollers songs. Toback was greatly lauded in neo-folk circles for wringing pathos from his meticulous, between-the-lines interpretations of classics like "Saturday Night" and "Rock & Roll Love Letter." This phase in his career peaked with a 1995 Letterman appearance, where his bring-down-the-house version of "Yesterday's Hero" left Letterman guest Brooke Shields in tears and, sadly, resulted in a lawsuit against Toback by Rollers co-founder Derek Longmuir. Thus began Toback's Dark Period, characterized by infrequent east coast stage appearances in which Toback would alternate between twisted interpretations of Diamanda Galas songs and letter-perfect renditions of early Neil Diamond tunes. Having exorcised his personal demons, Toback returned to the L.A. music scene with his flawless Perfect Flux Thing. While traces of Rollers classic "Summer Love Sensation" and Neil Diamond's immortal "Forever in Blue Jeans" are subtly hinted at in several of the album's tracks, Jeremy has finally found his own voice. It's a moving document showing great potential for future growth."

Buy this album now

07/07/1998

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I first saw Toback live a little over three years ago on a side stage at a small music festival in Southern California. He was alone on stage singing and playing chords on an electric bass. I was one of about ten people in the room being blown away by the performance as several hundered people stood outside listening to trite ramblings of hacks. I've been a fan ever since. When he released a self-titled ep a year later, I was ecstatic and bought it immediately. Shear genius. Unfortunately, since then, he has given up his old style of bass playing, claiming that in a band format, it sounds too muddy. However, this album does not suffer for it. His song-writing is of the highest calibur, both intellectually and emotionally, displaying a formidable understanding of composition, despite the over-blown version of Word Behind Words. This is his trademark song, and quite a good one. His solo version with only bass and vocals was a phenomenal example of minimalism, and the version on his ep was brilliantly composed. Unfortunately, the version on this album sounds like a standard, cheesy rock ballad. Despite this shortcoming, the album is well worth owning. You may also want to check out the album he did with a band called Brad (a side-project of Stone Gossard of Pearl Jam fame and Sean Smith of Satchel). Toback's song, "Down," is intense."

Right on!

08/21/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Perfect Flux Thing is hard to describe, you should just listen to it for yourself. California Phase, Eden Trampoline and The Word Behind Words set the tone for this excellent CD. Who the heck is Jeremy Toback, anyway? This guy came out of nowhere to become one of the most promising songwriters around. With all the boring drivel currently being played on FM radio, we need to be hearing more of artists like Toback!"