Vinyl Review: The Tomicks Self Titled

The Tomicks

Bless you all for sticking with me.

Today is the second vinyl review, in a row, that won't feature an unboxing video.

I'm still not sure when that'll return. The sitting room where I am now, is still a disaster.

Let's talk about the good changes between the last vinyl review and this one though...

Well, it's just the one thing really, my new old receiver.

A couple years ago, I was gifted a Sherwood S7100-A receiver, which back in the day was one of the top of the line combos. Well, it broke very shortly after it came into my possession and it's been fixed!

The Tomicks

We have been using this great beast for the past not even 48 hours, as of this writing. So, my current vinyl setup is now pure Seventies.

A Panasonic PL-200 turntable into a Sherwoood S7100-A into a pair of Sansui speakers.

If you want to hear music like it was meant to be heard, you could do a lot worse than my current setup.

Big thanks go to my father in law to holding onto some of this equipment even though he wasn't using it and another big thanks goes to my wife who found these speakers at an estate sale for the princely sum of $30.

Now, what that allows me...is a pure glimpse into the sound and feel of the music itself. It's kind of a big deal for me, but let's talk about that music instead of my house for a bit.

The Tomicks are a bit of a unique band to my ears. They self report as a rock'n'roll band heavily influenced by the 60's and 70's. That's pretty true, but they also can't help but let their age and epoch seeping into the tracks as well.

On a purely superficial level, I'm reminded of Fleetwood Mac's Rumours. There's a male and female vocal dynamic, though she's used less frequently and makes for a nice palette cleanser.

Their are two major differences between these two records though and the first one is that I don't hate The Tomicks. Big sorries to the tens of millions of you who do love Fleetwood Mac.

The other big difference is that there's not nearly as much (or enough) guitar solos. The bites we get just make us hungry for more. It's like the sashimi and nigiri you eat before your main course.

On another level, I'm reminded quite a bit of the good reverend, James Leg. The Tomicks sound a lot like what would he'd have been without all of the whiskey. Vocally and lyrically they're both emotional and sing the blues.

Where James Leg is stripped down, The Tomicks are spruced up. It's sort of a Star Trek Mirror Mirror Universe situation being told in real time, but none of them have the same names...but do we even know their real names?

Temporal Investigations is going to be getting an email from me about this.

Continuing down the path of the Good Reverend, The Tomicks sometimes head down to Hammond Organ Town, but only from time to time. There's a beautiful variety. The colors on the palette are bountiful and plenty.

Not only do we get red and blue, but also auburn and azure.

Returning to the self-ident, the Tomicks definitely have the influence of which they so proudly declare. They play rock, R&B, and they've even been visited by the Disco Demon.

Seemingly, their bite doesn't appear to have been fatal. They're more like Alucard rather than Dracula...

This record is my childhood in LP form. It's all the music I grew up hearing before The Empire Strikes Back came out in  a beautiful tapestry.

Now...the cover...it's sort of bland, nondescript, and certainly not an eye catcher. Why, it would be hard to say that the picture is even an album cover at all. It's a backdrop you've seen behind a million bar bands' drummers.

It doesn't tell a story or make you ask any questions. It doesn't have that Pink Floyd or Iron Maiden come hither stare...

But once you open the gatefold...and you peek below the milquetoast professionalism, you'll see what really lurks below our suits and ties. The black and white cover belies nothing. The colors inside and the mini album covers for all of the songs though...

That's life I suppose.

It's a great metaphor as to why I don't befriend  my professional clients, ya know, my real job.

Take some time...sit down and steep a nice cuppa tea and see what these Angols have cooked up for you. if you're young in years or young at heart, they got you.

If you're wondering how this record sounds...on my setup, it sounds like god herself telling you the good news.

It's also a sturdy piece of wax.

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