Phantom Tollbooth

(Translated from my original Italian text by ChatGPT and Piero Scaruffi)

The Phantom Tollbooth, led by Dave Rick (formerly of Yo La Tengo), were perhaps the first band to attempt a fusion of hardcore and art rock. Their arrangements were marked by unpredictable dynamics, perfectly disguised cacophonies, jazzy passages, and thrash-like epileptic bursts. The rhythm section of Gerard Smith (bass) and Jon Coats (drums) was among the most creative in the genre. After their self-titled debut EP in 1986 (Homestead), they recorded One-way Conversation (Homestead, 1987) and Power Toy (November 1987 – Homestead, 1988) over the next two years. These are considered their finest works, diverging from the models of “progressive” hardcore like Minutemen and Saccharine Trust. They established their signature “fusion,” with eclectic, driving instrumentals such as We're Paid By The Word—alternating and blending jazz, blues, and folk idioms—and Last Exit Before Toll, a filigree of blistering, supersonic heavy metal riffs interwoven with other stylistic detours, redefining instrumental rock with harmonic freedom. Rick shines with his enterprising, creative style, indebted both to Hendrix (glissandi and manic detunings in Daylight In The Quiet Zone) and to Lindsay (atonal, minimalist guitar bursts in Landing Is Gear), two masters whose influence he fuses into a radically nontraditional yet compelling approach (the catastrophic solos of Camel's Gak). Upbeat ballads like Significant In Ten Years owe a debt to Rush and Yes, but with the neurotic edge of hardcore. After a long agony, the band dissolved, leaving Rick free to focus on Kramer’s projects; however, he never recaptured the fortunate creative streak of this period, when he seemed destined to become a landmark figure in rock guitar.