A math-rocking Stereolab, you might say. Test Tone Channel bear no more than a slight resemblance to Stereolab, but it's a good starting point. Credit the resemblance to Chastity Alward, whose sweet, slightly accented vocals and analog keyboard stylings give Running For Words much of its pop lightness. Ultimately, there's little freedom to be had, as the rest of the band stand prepared to impose precise, almost martial rhythms at a moment's notice. Test Tone Channel handle these transitions skillfully, and their songs don't collapse.
Compositional elements work well, too.
The sonic interplay is, at times, quite exquisite. When broken down into its component parts, Test Tone Channel's sound doesn't seem unique at all. Running For Words finds its intrigue not in the creation of entirely new and striking noise, but in the unexpected juxtaposition of familiar elements and stylistic approaches. Content may not be reproduced without our express permission.