Andrew Toy is a percussionist, precisely the type of musician who often has strong feelings about electronic music. Judging by his first solo effort, I'd say he does. And he gives the blips a big thumbs up.

Andrew Toy Guardrails (self-released)

What Toy has created here are songs driven by analog percussion (particularly mallet instruments like marimba) and augmented by electronics. The beats are often an amalgam of analog and electronic, and the general feel is that of a forest at night. For some reason, city folks head to the country for peace and quiet. Idiots. There's a universe of sound out in the boonies.

Toy's pieces are largely abstract, but he does construct them in a way that allows three or four distinct thoughts to be explored in a given song. Usually there are a couple of melodic elements and a couple of rhythmic elements, but actual numbers vary. The beats and melodies swirl around each other, sometimes connecting and sometimes repelling. The effect can be dronelike, but just when things are headed to a raga, Toy resolves the issue and sets up new parameters.

All well and good, but I haven't captured the sheer excitement of listening to a set that is teeming with ideas. The ferment is intellectual, but it excites all the senses. Toy has been a sideman for a long time. He really sets the stage with his first effort. Quite fantastic.

Jon Worley