Toad the Wet Sprocket illustrate that their ability to craft gentle, alternative folk-rock in the vein of
R.E.M. continues to grow on
Coil, a marginally darker record than the previous
Dulcinea. Although the album is a little more somber, it is far from haunting, since
Toad's talent is for pleasant, lightly melodic acoustic pop, and
Coil is no different from the rest of their catalog in that respect. In fact, it offers little new, but
Toad are more reliable than predictable, since the record is quite well crafted. While it won't win the group any new fans, it's a solid effort that will certainly please fans.