Toby Leaman is making his next move, which will be solo. Leaman has yet to go it alone, despite playing the lead on some of Dr. Dog's most memorable songs. His bandmates in Dr. Dog have a long history of releasing their own projects. His songwriting partner Scott McMicken released the great Scottman LP and reportedly has something new on the way. Drummer Eric Slick has a vast discography, most recently including Wiseacre.
That changed when Military Applications, formally released on Bandcamp as dd Toby Leaman, dropped unexpectedly. It was recorded in three studios and studio-like locations, including the band's Mount Slippery studio in Clifton Heights, Slippery Slopes in Wilmington and Montross Studio in Richmond.
Eliza Hardy-Jones, a longtime friend, and Mel Leaman provide backing vocals, while Pat Finnerty, a live band karaoke leader and producer of viral material, performs lead guitar on a few songs and Slick provides drumming for the whole album. Of course, the focal point is Leaman himself and these six tracks demonstrate his diverse range of musical inclinations, from rootsy soul to heady dub, with his consistently gruff vocal piercing the background noise with reassuring and upbeat melodies.
The hazy midtempo tropical sounds of "Don't Worry" seem to be Leaman working in an aesthetic that McMicken would frequently claim for himself. At its most outlandish, Military Applications finds Leaman trying on aesthetics that might not have necessarily been expected from him in the context of his full band..

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