The Boats have certainly been busy this year. After releasing an absolute gem of a debut (2004's Songs By the Sea), they in my opinion went down a notch over the next couple of years with two good, if inconsistent albums ("Jonathan And Rob" off We Made It For You is still a favorite of mine), and a nice split EP with Pendle Coven. But in 2008, they've gone prolific, this being one of three releases so far this year. Luckily, the quality of this album doesn't suffer from the work ethic. I've always sensed that The Boats witty naming conventions for their songs tried to disguise how emotional and serious the actual content of the songs is. But the emotion of the songs is something The Boats don't need to apologize for; the whole of Faulty Toned Radio is achingly beautiful, subtle but dramatic when it needs to be, reserved and chill when it makes sense. If The Boats aren't taking their music seriously, the content of this album doesn't speak to that. What's interesting about this album is a subtle dancefloor influence, which, while making the Pendle Coven partnership seem more reasonable, is something entirely new to The Boats sound. I don't quite understand how they're able to make a 4/4 fit in so well with what has always been a very organic, almost homemade sound, but it works, and it's quite cool. This is by no means a dance record or anything, but this influence certainly adds a bit of range to The Boats' sound, and has certainly helped them get back to making albums of the quality Songs By the Sea suggested.
Style: Indielectronic
RIYL: The Remote Viewer, Porn Sword Tobacco
Download: As For Substance
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2008
Flau 
Fulty Toned Radio 
Indielectronic 
Porn Sword Tobacco 
The Boats 
The Remote Viewer 
onecaseman 
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