James Jackson Toth: Waiting In Vain

The

problem with too many "literary" songwriters is that their songs serve their

words, not the other way around. A drably perfect example is Waiting In Vain, the debut by former

Wooden Wand And The Vanishing Voice frontman James Jackson Toth. Where Wooden

Wand benefited from an early-T. Rex folk fixation and shrooms the size of

Bikini Island, Toth's solo work is careful, measured, and mannered. And dull.

"Look In On Me" jumps up and down—lethargically, of course—to point

out how much it resembles an outtake from Imagine, and "The Park" squanders

its energy on melodies that evaporate the instant they touch air. But Toth's

lyrics shine: Even as songs like "My Paint"—basically a sterilized Wooden

Wand tune—fade to nothingness, Toth whips up some vividly imagistic

couplets and seemingly playful turns of phrase that leave an acrid aftertaste.

Which would be great if Waiting In Vain was a book of short stories. There are a

dozen directions Toth could've taken after Wooden Wand—in fact, he

already has, with the Jex Thoth project, whose recent self-titled debut is a

ragged, doom-soaked beauty. But Waiting In Vain Decent read, tedious

listen.