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Delusions
of Adequacy
album review
"...'Over
the Sink' comes on, slower, with a darkly melodic guitar line and Dean's
vocals thickly textured...'Buttonholes' is even softer, very sparse and
entirely driven by Dean's voice...Like its name, 'Anesthesia' is quiet
and thick, with Dean's vocals layered and chilling. This track is quite
lovely, with stellar bass and perfect guitar. 'Dog Eyes' is another darkly
melodic track, with nice acoustic guitar. And the 8-minute closer, 'Touch,'...with
crisp, chilling guitar, good drumming, and Dean's vocals lofting to even
new heights, especially by the end, as the music builds into a frenzied
crescendo, and Dean screams as if her life is ending. Holy cow I love
this song! It is so removed from the first track on the album, I think
it must be a different band...the moody, darkly melodic and hauntingly
lovely tracks are truly inspired and quite impressive. That's the reason
why I listen to this album time and again..."
Collected
Sounds (Sweden)
album review
"Telto
are a truly special band. Their brand of rock is somewhat peculiar, but
powerful. Singer Leslie Dean has a really strong voice and knows how to
use it. Telto go from the storming '8 Ball in Your Fruit Ball' to the
quiet 'Blue' without losing the plot once. Their sense of drama reminds
me of the Throwing Muses in their 80's heyday. Some of their lyrics are
as weird as Kristin Hersh's were. On the folksy 'Over the Sink' Dean recalls
Bettie Serveert's Carol Van Dijk. The gently rolling 'Anesthesia' shows
the band's skill at creating unsettling moods. Telto pull out all the
stops for the grand finale 'Touch.' It becomes a genuine epic with Dean
showing off her spectacular voice for all it's worth. Now that's how you
end an album."
Eufonia
"El otro sonido de la musica" XHTEC 94.9 FM conciencia en la radio (Monterrey,
Nuevo Leon, MEXICO)
album review
"'Anesthesia'!,
'Anesthesia'! En mi caso, creo que desde 'Lucky Man' de The Verve no repetía
tanto una canción en mi estéreo...go
here to read the entire review in Spanish: http://www.eufonia.net/html/telto.html.
Here is an English translation by an unauthorized translator:
"'Anesthesia'!
'Anesthesia'! In my case, I suppose that I haven't played and replayed
a song so much since the Verve's 'Lucky Man' ...The disc opens with a
sort of rock that we might call good and fast, with interesting lyrics
and outstanding electric guitar (backed up by a decent rhythm section),
especially on 'Janus' and '8 Ball ...'. However, in my humble opinion,
the compositions of Leslie Dean begin to get musically interesting with
the dark, almost gothic 'Over The Sink,' when the disc takes another turn—maybe
a bit slower, but definitely more attractive (in my case), and sometimes
with psychedelic tints ('Someone Hollow Swallowed Me'). Then we arrive
at 'Anesthesia' and the sounds and rhythms are both fresh and soft, belonging
to a period before psychedelic folk-rock and totally 'indie/alternative,'
accompanied in this regard by the no-less splendid 'Blue,' with a rhythm
a la 'Tomorrow Never Knows.' This pair of tracks makes the disc a complete
'must' for anyone who enjoys good music...An excellent, polished record.
Recommended. We're waiting for follow-up material in a state of anxious
perspiration."
hEARd Magazine (Australia)
album review
"...Telto
have a great style that takes many forms across this album. The band play
semi-punk feel songs while comfortably adding some haunting slower tracks....One
of the catchiest aggressive numbers here is the unusual '8 Ball In Your
Fruit Bowl,' while the following couple of tracks, 'Over the Sink' and
the beautiful 'Buttonholes'...are both of the slower variety of songs,
where vocalist Leslie Dean's voice is at its most impressive. In similar
fashion, there are some other superb moments, like 'Anesthesia' and 'Blue,'
which is my favourite, alongside closing number 'Touch,' a real epic number
at 8 minutes or so, which manages to combine the best moments of the slower
tracks, with the guitar oriented feel of the more aggressive numbers..."
Aiding
& Abetting
album review
"...Another way to look at it is that Telto works very
hard to not sound like anyone else. These songs lurch, stumble, roll and
slip along, sometimes smoothly and sometimes not. I think that the way
that works is largely instinctual...Sounds good, anyways...And just when
I think I've almost got a handle on things, Telto goes and does something
different. That's pretty much priceless. As long as these folks keep trying
to best themselves, I have a feeling they'll be making good music."
Gangreen
demo review
"Gifted
songwriter/vocalist/guitarist Leslie Dean should probably be making music
for a living. Her raw rock songs have a taste of surf and a tinge of country
and mix intelligent lyrics with excellent musicianship....As a guitarist,
she lays down fierce rhythm tracks and solid lead parts...handles rockers
like '8 Ball in Your Fruit Bowl' and the somewhat folky 'Anesthesia,'
where her guitar is more of a textural element, with equal aplomb. She's
at her best on the radio-friendly 'Janus,' which has a mesmerizing lead
guitar hook, and 'Someone Hollow Swallowed Me'..."
Alternative
Press Magazine
demo review
"Rocketing
off the reel like a runaway truck, Telto dig deep into the groove...Leslie
Dean is a terrific guitarist, pulling in country, funk, surf and jazz
influences and twisting them together forcefully...She's just as compelling
as a vocalist...Not to be overlooked are the fluid, jazzy chops of Stock
and McNair; this rhythm section can turn on a dime..."
BAM Magazine
live performance review
"...During
their show at Blake's...they filled the place with powerful, guitar-oriented
rock that was never imitative and was occasionally a bit scary in its
intensity. Dean's edgy, haunting voice preternaturally drew out her apocryphal,
defiant lyrics, and her work seems to escape the vapid 'I'm-so-depressed'
cleverness that many local songwriters seem unable to shake. Plus, her
guitar rocks—her rhythm and lines are unusual and imaginative. Meanwhile
Stock beats the precise hell out of his powerful kit with a fearsome grimace
on his face. His drumming uncannily complements Dean's changes from major
to minor and the songs' shifts in rhythm. Telto...is dead serious and
delirious fun at the same time..."
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