Walter Sickert & the Army of Broken Toys

CD Review

Title: Walter Sickert & the Army of Broken Toys
Original review publish date: March 2007 (Low Budget Superhero) 

Walter Sickert & the Army of Broken Toys assert their musical motif right from the opening crash and jangle of track one, "The Negative Heart Society." On this track a tribal drum groove punctuates strangled breathing and an echo-effected throat-tearing vocal repeatedly accusing "You left my heart in pieces!" If the musical clang and boom fail to portend the proper dark angst of this debut CD, then the lyrics certainly leave no doubt — this is an angry record. Taken as a whole, the 13 track CD is epic poetry exploring the black pit of human despair.

Much like Nick Cave's 1996 Murder Ballads, Walter Sickert has totally immersed himself in the motif. Cave's obsession was murder from many points of view, explicitly defined and horrific despite it's beautiful execution (pun intended). The obsession gripping Walter Sickert & partner Edrie (a broken toy) is heartbreak. In a real life example of misery seeking company, Walter and Edrie sought solace together when their spouses ran off with each other. Left cold, there seemed no better way to purge the demons than to do it together, in musical form. And they don't hold back one iota of raw emotion. On "Bone Slag," Walter howls "Which way is up, which way is down, You slit my throat when you're around, You cut my heart, You took my name, You made yourself fucking bone slag." He delivers the final punch with "Once a hooker, always a whore." It's noisy, it's challenging, it's raw and evocative, and I wouldn't want to be the target of that fury. "Bone Slag" is a stand-out, as is "Sister Inhalation" with its repeating advice to "Shut off all the things inside." At its strangest, the Army of Toys delivers a choked cacophony in "Hell Holds," made all the more disturbing against a backdrop of spunky cabaret music; the overall effect brings to mind the inimitable HUMANWINE and is therefore no bad thing.

Like other artists who throw an unapologetic spotlight on the ugliest elements of human existence, Walter Sickert will probably find most people shunning this record and a small devoted audience who adore it. Anchored as it is by throbbing piano, dreamy synths and echoing vocals, the overall sound is cohesive. Yet it avoids sounding samey and achieves awesome dynamics by perfect use of unexpected bursts of twisted electronics, crackling samples and chunky acoustic guitars. On songs like "The Long Wait" and "Slit Wrist Family," the sweet cooing of Edrie is the perfect haunting echo to Walter's murdererous howl. Soul-crushing heartbreak never sounded so good. (Lexi Kahn, March 2007)