What the Toll Tells

Infobox Album
Name = What the Toll Tells
Type = Album
Artist = Two Gallants


Released = February 13, 2006 (UK)
February 21, 2006 (US)
Recorded = July 2005
Genre = Indie rock
Lo-fi
Length = 59:42
Label = Saddle Creek
Producer = Scott Solter
Reviews =
*Allmusic Rating|4.5|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:j9fuxqudldke link]
*Drowned in Sound rating-10|8 [http://drownedinsound.com/release/view/7198 link]
*Entertainment.ie Rating|4|5 [http://www.entertainment.ie/reviews/review.asp?ID=4341&subcat=CD link]
*"Gigwise" Rating|4.5|5 [http://gigwise.com/contents.asp?contentid=12788 link] Feb 2006
*musicOMH.com Rating|4|5 [http://www.musicomh.com/albums5/two-gallants_0206.htm link]
*"NME" rating-10|8 [http://www.nme.com/reviews/two-gallants/7854 link] Feb 2006
*Pitchfork Media rating-10|4.8 [http://pitchforkmedia.com/article/record_review/22775/Two_Gallants_What_the_Toll_Tells link]
*Prefix Magazine rating-10|5 [http://www.prefixmag.com/reviews/cds/T/Two-Gallants/What-the-Toll-Tells/1979 link]
Last album = "The Throes"
(2004)
This album = "What the Toll Tells"
(2006)
Next album = "Nothing to You (re-mix) + 3 (EP)"
(2006)

"What the Toll Tells" is the second album recorded by Two Gallants released in February 2006 (see 2006 in music). It was recorded at Tiny Telephone studios, San Francisco in during July 2005. [ [http://twogallants.com/news.html] July 10, 2005 - Recording of What the Toll Tells]

This album is the 91st release of Saddle Creek Records.

Critical response

"What the Toll Tells" received generally favorable reviews from music critics around the country. The album received a high score of 69 on metacritic.com, a review-aggregation website.

Controversy

The song "Long Summer Day", a song based on the Moses Platt song, was criticised in multiple publications' reviews of the album, including in Prefix Magazine and Pitchfork Media. The song describes a black man dealing with the oppression of a white boss, and considering a possibly violent reaction. The use of the word "nigger" in particular drew fire, with reviews claiming the Two Gallants (both white) were "borrowing otherness" in writing the song. The Two Gallants gave a sarcastic reply on their website, claiming to be unaware that they aren't allowed to "write about our country's embarrassing past" and that they are required to write about "the trials of two pale skinned urbanites who have never known a day of struggle in their lives".

Track listing

# "Las Cruces Jail" – 5:46
# "Steady Rollin'" – 4:28
# "Some Slender Rest" – 8:57
# "Long Summer Day" – 4:54
# "The Prodigal Son" – 3:13
# "Threnody" – 9:34
# "16th St. Dozens" – 5:15
# "Age of Assassins" – 8:01
# "Waves of Grain" – 9:34
# "Big Lucille" (vinyl only)
# "Negrophilia Blues" (vinyl only)

Credits

*Alberto Cuéllar - Trombone, Trumpet
*Jackie Perez Gratz - Cello
*Alan Hynes - Design
*Chelsea Jackson (pseudonym of Adam Stephens) - Guitar, Harmonica, vocals
*Dan Kasin - Management
*Scott Solter - Engineer, Mixing
*Doug VanSloun - Mastering
*Auggie Washington (pseudonym of Tyson Vogel) - drums, Vocals

Notes