(Alternative Rock) Joydrop - 2 Альбома (Metasexual [1998], Viberate [2001]), MP3 (tracks), CBR 192-320 kbps

With potent vocals, edgy guitars and a hard-driving rhythm section, Joydrop is, first and foremost, a rock band. On their debut album, Metasexual, they tap into the timeless sound of rock music with solid songwriting, lucid melodies and memorable hooks, then add a contemporary vocabulary of samples, altered drum sounds and loops.
Formed in 1996 in Toronto, Joydrop's sound reflects the divergent backgrounds of its members. Vocalist Tara Slone studied opera and theater for more than a decade. Guitarist Thomas Payne, a student of musical composition and philosophy, spent his teens in front of a 4-track recorder. Bassist Tom McKay got his education in the UK, performing and writing with various artists. Drummer Tony Rabalao studied composition and jazz and has performed in a wide variety of musical contexts. To record the album, the band called upon veteran producer and mixer Ron St. Germain (Creed, 311, Soundgarden, Tool, Bad Brains). Spiders followed four years after their founding, and 2001's Viberate featured frontwoman Tara Sloane's best work yet. ~ Amanda Nusbaum, All Music Guide

Joydrop brings to mind screamy, girl bands of the mid '80s, who made MTV videos: big hair, pyrotechnics and lyrics about indifference and dismissal belted out with the intensity of a military jet formation. This is, of course, a much, much, more contemporary band than that, but their sound is decidedly retro, referring to that era on all counts (superior lipstick action exists in the '90s, though, everyone's agreed. The album cover attests to that). "Breakdown" is a theatrical vocal and percussion night howler, sounding a little like Joan Jett or even Pat Benatar, even if those two are stylistically pretty darned distinct. "Strawberry Marigold" is sweeter, girlier and more harmony led, reminiscent of Til Tuesday's echo effects which, unfortunately, bury the guitar work. Things simply start to get repetitive right around "Cocoon," which is indistinguishable from multiple moments on other cuts on the record: "Fizz," "Beautiful" and "Dog Star Radio," among others. Joydrop is smart to exploit the compelling guts and verve of these good singers, although their stylistic range, if they have it (and it's hard to imagine they don't, given their awesome vocal capabilities), is something to be shown off as well. Powerful, un-mindblowing girlie rock. ~ Becky Byrkit, All Music Guide

When Joydrop burst onto the scene in 1998 with their release of Metasexual, they were somewhat of a minority in that they made unique music and their frontman wasn't a man at all, but a woman. (Not to mention the fact that all four bandmembers have a first name that starts with "T"). However, while this first effort was well done, it fell into a groove of repetitiveness. After a few songs, everything just kind of blended together. But this has all changed with the release of Viberate, a very dynamic album that is heavy on the band's best asset, the voice of Tara Slone. She has the ability to sound seductive and chilling when singing a ballad and then harsh and mad on the very next track. Even on a few occasions, as is the case with "Sometimes Wanna Die," she can combine both of these emotions into one beautiful song. The album starts off with a bang, hitting the listener hard with the fast-paced anger of "Thick Skin." Next is one song penned by Slone, the more cynical "American Dreamgirl," where she belts, "I won't be silenced by your small-minded validation/your silicone creation rock & roll masturbation." As is evident in these few lines, lyrically the album is superb. Each member of the band takes a shot at composing both the music and the lyrics, and this in itself adds to the variation of sounds in the tracks. After the aforementioned "Sometimes Wanna Die," the record breaks somewhat with a few average songs. Included in this bunch is "Life on the Sun," which fails to measure up because it distorts the voice of Slone, which is kind of a letdown after hearing it so much in the first three tracks. However, what this portion of the album does do is keep the listener interested with wild guitar segments, computer-generated sounds, and overall a unique sound. This is important because the best song on the album is the track right after this down period, the ballad "Embrace." In this song, Slone's vocal talents are showcased more than anywhere else, making the listener extremely happy for sticking out the middle. Overall, Joydrop does an excellent job of creating great sounds that you don't hear in the mainstream. But at the same time, they don't get too creative and just let Slone do her thing. ~ Shawn Nicholls, All Music Guide