It's been almost three years since a bewildered Toad the Wet Sprocket went from alternative-radio darlings to the Top 40 with a couple of surprise hits from the platinum album "Fear."
At the time, Toad was working hard, touring and building up a fan base through live performances and a free fan newsletter. The band was getting played on college radio and gradually becoming better known. But then came "All I Want" and "Walk on the Ocean," and the band's popularity skyrocketed. In less than 18 months, Toad the Wet Sprocket played over 275 shows in North America and Europe.When the band finally got done with all the hoopla over "Fear," the members of Toad decided to capitalize on all the playing they did in those 18 months. So now Toad is back, with an album that returns to the band's original stripped-down and folksy sound.
Toad the Wet Sprocket will perform at the Triad Ampitheater at 7:30 p.m.Friday, Aug. 5, as part of a tour promoting its newest effort, "Dulcinea." "Dulcinea," named after the character Don Quixote idealized as the perfect woman, is touted as partially a concept album, with many of the songs focusing on the gap between expectations and reality.
This album offers the same moody harmonies and quiet introspection that built Toad a major following. But the band members have attempted to give the latest album more of a live feel by restraining themselves on the production end of things. "Dulcinea," as a result, doesn't offer anything that sounds like the slick pop-rock of "All I Want" from the last album.
It does, however, offer the catchy-with-an-edge "Fall Down," which has already received some radio play locally. It also offers lots of Toad's trademark mellow, melodic tunes and a few surprises. One of these is "Reincarnation Song," a strange little piece that features guitarist Todd Nichols singing in a harsh, almost annoying character voice. Another is the playful "Nanci," about the relative merits of country singers Nanci Griffith and Loretta Lynn.
Old fans of Toad will probably welcome the band's return to a simpler sound, and fans of "Fear" will have the chance to see a different side to the band during Friday's show at the Triad Ampitheater.
Tickets, at $15, are available at Smokey's Records, Cosmic Aeroplane, Halcyon Square and Gray Whale in Provo.