TOBY DRIVER - Madonnawhore LP

Maudlin Of The Well and Kayo Dot band leader Toby Driver unleashes his second solo record. Such a prolific and experimental composer could previously be accused of cramming too many ideas into one record, but Madonnawhore (based on a Freudian psycho-sexual complex, not the strangest diss of the century) is one of his most immediate and stripped down works yet. By no means easy to navigate, Madonnawhore drifts sparsely through gloomy and spacious dirges lead by clanging clean guitars, thumping kick drums and of course Toby's stunning hushed vocals and out there lyrics. Though some of the unpredictability and intensity of his band work is lost, it's still a very enticing journey to wander through.