The Toll - Sticks & Stones And Broken Bones (1991/2020)

The Toll's freshman "The Price of Progression" was a blazing, dischordant, rock and roll epic with piercing, spoken-word poetic passages that were death valley landscapes with the basic brushes of rhythym behind them. No, their music wasn't spectacular or groundbreaking. But their songs had an epicness to them and the band had the guts it took to put out music that wasn't going to be widely recognized or commercially popular. And frontman Brad Circone had something special. You can still see glimpses of this on their sophomore follow-up "Sticks and Stones and Broken Bones", but only glimpses. This rock act doesn't have much special in the way of their music (it's serviceable) and, lyrically, many of the songs have taken on the topor that comes with too much drink. There are a couple of blips of rap on this album! It is out-of-place for this band. But there is also some decent to good stuff on this album even amidst the decline. Perhaps their best song (for this album) was the conscience pricking rocker "Hear Your Brother Calling"; the lyrics referenced several real life tragic incidents including "But in New York City Kitty Genovese was murdered in the street/ Yeah for forty-five minutes thirty-eight people just stood and watched her bleed/ Neighbors hear desperate screams but seldom do they intervene". Irregardless of where you stand on the political or moral aisle The Toll were at their best when they were singing/ railing about the moral frailitudes and injustices of this world. Too bad they were so short-lived. Highlights include: the debauched "Sweet Misery"; the call to conscience "Hear Your Brother Calling"; opener "Tongue-Tied River".