Excitement made palpable without a single word
Toronto-based composer, Robin Hatch’s latest album was created alongside a musical titan whose career spans 50+ years, having worked with Stevie Wonder, Gil-Scott Heron, Joan Baez, The Doobie Brothers and more. Quite an impressive resume. This collaboration is a testament to Hatch’s street cred. There’s one catch, however—her collaborator isn’t even a person. It’s a six-foot-tall, 20-foot-wide synthesizer named TONTO. And she sounds like she couldn’t be any happier to work with her electronic new friend.
T.O.N.T.O. was recorded at the National Music Gallery in Calgary, where the hulking synthesizer is housed. The album oscillates between a tightly-wound, pensive mood and one of total euphoria. Both indicate the deep reverence Hatch has for TONTO. The former conjures images of the composer poring over the machine in isolation, pacing back and forth, quietly obsessing over the limitless possibilities that stand before her. Hatch was only allowed four days in the studio, and the feeling of working in a time-crunch really comes through on these tracks. This is especially true of the lilting “Buttercups” and the knotty “My Lucid Mind.”
But the album is most pleasurable during its moments of elation when one can hear how much fun Hatch is having. She sounds absolutely psyched to be playing this monolithic instrument, a feeling she communicates without speaking a single word—she just lets the music do the talking.
On tracks like “Brazil” and “Inspector,” Hatch’s excitement practically oozes out of the synth. “Brazil,” recorded with drummer Eric Slick and saxophonist Leland Whitty, is named after the 1985 Terry Gilliam film, and it shows. Like the movie, it’s lush and playful, except with none of the dystopian stuff, as if Hatch and her collaborators distilled only the fun parts from the flick. The three musicians mesh like one single unit, but if there’s anyone who comes close to outshining the others, it’s Whitty. Even amidst Hatch’s warm synth playing and Slick’s roiling drums, his sticky sax lines are the biggest takeaway.
“Inspector” boasts a punchy, driving beat played by drummer Lowell Whitty, tied together by a stark, angular synth arpeggio over which Hatch lays down a series of frenetic lines. This comes to a head when a pillowy, reverberating chord progression slips out of the frenzy to bring the track to a satisfying finish. The prominent, racing drums and simplistic arpeggio create a momentum that’s almost punklike.
The best track on the record is the downright blissful “Mockingbird.” It features some of Hatch’s most infectious melodic lines atop thick, warbling synth chords and dreamy atmospherics. Hatch’s palpable excitement takes on new weight with this instrumental backdrop. Elsewhere, she takes a playful approach to TONTO, like a child having fun with their hip new toy. Here, she channels emotions that are borderline religious.
The quieter, more reflective tracks are plenty enjoyable, but T.O.N.T.O. is at its best when Hatch lets loose and puts her enthusiasm on full display. After all, who wouldn’t be pumped to play the same synth that’s responsible for the bassline on “Superstition” by Stevie friggin’ Wonder? Very few people get to experience such a thrill—but over the course of just nine tracks, Hatch gives her listeners an opportunity to come along for the ride.
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