"The debut from this Oregon-based reggae band shows lots of promise. It's got that slightly ragged, self-released sound about it, but all the necessary ingredients are there: intelligent, often funny lyrics, hooky melodies, ponderous basslines. The Toyes' signature tune seems to be the whimsical "Two Joints" ("I smoke two joints in times of peace/And two in times of war/I smoke two joints before I smoke two joints/And then I smoke two more"). It begins the program, and the album ends with two more versions, one in Spanish and one in French. In between there's a spectacular reggae version of "Freebird" and a hilarious sendup of the old novelty tune "Monster Mash," rewritten and dubbed (as it were) "Monster Hash." Among the fine originals are "Wake Up (And Smell the Java)" and "Late Night Bozos," which takes on Leno and Letterman. The bandleader is a guy named Mawg who can't seem to decide whether to fake a Jamaican accent (correct answer: don't), but who has a great voice and an incisive, smart-alecky sense of humor. The band kicks consistently and hard. Get these guys into a good studio and they'll make some major noise."

~ Rick Anderson of allmusic.com

Freebird

(Hey Uncle Sam) Leave Us Pot Smokers Alone

The Lucky Sperm Club

Blues Line

Wake Up (And Smell The Java)

Late Night Bozos

Something Went Down In Jerusalem

Listen To The Radio

I Come From The Islands

Sing To Me Tonight

What's So Bad About A Nipple

Monster Hash

Dos Lenos

Fume Deux Joints

On their sophomore effort, the Toyes make a bid for the title of Best American Reggae Band. Okay, maybe there's not that much competition. But this is a great album by any standard: production quality is up significantly from the debut, and bandleader Mawg  is writing songs even tighter and hookier than before. One thing that hasn't changed is his wicked sense of humor and his manifest inability to suffer fools gladly-"Whatever That Means" takes on presidential politics, while "Waiting for the Aliens" is a ridiculously catchy take on alien abduction theories. He gets maybe a bit too self-referential on "The Show Biz Food Chain," which bemoans the band's inability to break into the national spotlight. But at least he does it all with a grin, and his homeopathy anthem ("Green Doctor") is so sweetly funny that it more than makes up for the occasional misstep. The band is tighter than ever, thanks partly to the bass playing of Fully Fullwood and partly to guest drummer Carlton "Santa" Davis, a veteran of the Roots Radics band and Bunny Lee's studio. Highly recommended. 

The Toyes

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