Clear Shot in Bloomington, MN

When it comes to creativity, structure can be a frame or a cage. For
TOY
, the Motorik rhythms that gave form to their reveries and a foundation for their experiments were in danger of becoming dead ends. On
Clear Shot
, the ways in which the band branches out aren't just refreshing, they feel necessary. Not only is this
's first album with keyboardist
Max Oscarnold
(also of
Proper Ornaments
), it's their first without producer
Dan Carey
, who seemed like an honorary bandmember after their work together on
and
Join the Dots
as well as
Sexwitch
, their collaboration with
Bat for Lashes
'
Natasha Khan
. This time, the band worked with
David Wrench
, and his production and
Chris Coady
's mix strip away the fog of
's previous albums in favor of a crystalline hyperreality. In retrospect,
highlights like "Endlessly" feel like a rehearsal for
; though it still feels right to call their songs trips and excursions, now they're powered with a higher grade of fuel. The way that "Another Dimension" churns and hovers and "Fast Silver" moves from dusk to dawn wouldn't have been possible on
or
, while "I'm Still Believing" and "We Will Disperse" reflect how nimbly the band blends its pop and experimental sides. They're just as deft at vividly combining influences that range from the
BBC Radiophonic Workshop
to the
Incredible String Band
to acid house: The eerie majesty of "Cinema" calls to mind a
Bernard Herrmann
piece for analog synths. Occasionally,
gets a little too liberated from structure on
; though psychedelic music thrives on blurred lines, songs such as "Clouds That Cover the Sun" don't have enough shape to be truly transporting. Fortunately, for every formless track, there are two more like the brilliantly buoyant "Dream Orchestrator," a glimpse of 21st century psych-pop at its finest. Moments like this make
's most ambitious and rewarding album yet. ~ Heather Phares