The Twilight Sad are long time TracksandGigs favourites. Their debut album, released in 2007, was astonishingly assured for a first effort. Mixing passionate vocals with wall of sound guitars and pulsating drumming, it sounded like nothing else around and set the bar high for the follow up record.
A couple of EPs later and Kilsyth's finest are now back with their second full length album and 'Forget The Night Ahead' is quite some album. Lyrically as dark as dark can be, James Graham's words create a feeling of unease, trauma and regret, he doesn't tell stories, rather he plants words and phrases in your mind and creates an atmosphere. As with 'Fourteen Autumns and Fifteen Winters' there are many references to childhood and past trauma, but the themes are ambiguous and somewhat enthralling.
Musically, this is a dense but cold record. Aside from the terrific, innovative noisy guitar, there are memorable basslines and some superb drumming. Opener 'Reflection of the Television' is dark and brooding, sounding like a track from their quieter EP 'Here It Never Snowed', just as it builds it flows into 'I Became A Prostitute', powerful and raw and just about the most anthemic they have ever sounded.
A sequence of fast, loud songs follow, 'Made To Disappear' is a highlight with it's "I only wanted some honest fun" refrain, after a forbidding instrumental, the album reaches a peak with 'The Room'. Built largely on a piano refrain and simple drum beat, the song builds slowly with ominous strings in the background, Graham sings "you're the Grandson's toy in the corner, don't tell anyone else", it is all menacing, disturbing but somehow quite beautiful, maybe the best song they have yet recorded.
There is no let up in the quality. 'Floorboards Under The Bed', started with Graham singing away from the mic, is similarly full of suspense and tension, whilst louder songs such as 'That Birthday Present' offer some release, in this case in the story of a hedonistic friend's spiral down.
Right through to the dark closer 'At The Burnside' this is an excellent album. Guitarist Andy MacFarlane does an excellent job of creating thick fogs of innovative guitar noise for Graham to sing over...and he has matured into a fine singer, knowing when to emote and when to tone it down a level. The mix between noisy numbers and the more minimal, tension filled tracks is just right. This is a powerful, dark but very listenable record.
9.4
['Forget The Night Ahead' is out now on Fat Cat. The Twilight Sad are touring the UK from next week]
Showing posts with label the twilight sad. Show all posts
Showing posts with label the twilight sad. Show all posts
Friday, 16 October 2009
Saturday, 1 August 2009
Single of the week...
The Twilight Sad 'I Became A Prostitute'
The Twilight Sad return with the first single from their forthcoming album 'Forget The Night Ahead'. Louder and faster than recent EPs, this is a return to the sound of their first album. Dense, dark, thrilling....and with just a hint of a chorus..this is just as good as I'd hoped and there was a lot of expectation around this record. Looking forward to hearing the album.
For now, this is out on 7" and download, via Fat Cat Records.
The Twilight Sad return with the first single from their forthcoming album 'Forget The Night Ahead'. Louder and faster than recent EPs, this is a return to the sound of their first album. Dense, dark, thrilling....and with just a hint of a chorus..this is just as good as I'd hoped and there was a lot of expectation around this record. Looking forward to hearing the album.
For now, this is out on 7" and download, via Fat Cat Records.
more on the Zak Sally cd..
The Zak Sally cd has arrived from the States and I have to say it is one of the nicest handmade cds I have yet seen. Well worth getting if you are a fan of Zak (or were a fan of Low-era Zak), the cds are all signed and numbered.
More on the actual music soon, along with the new Twilight Sad cd and the Noah and The Whale album (which I have to say is stunning).
More on the actual music soon, along with the new Twilight Sad cd and the Noah and The Whale album (which I have to say is stunning).
Friday, 8 May 2009
new Twilight Sad song and tour
T&G favourites The Twilight Sad are finally close to releasing their long awaited second album, the follow up to 2007's awesome 'Fourteen Autumns, Fifteen Winters'. No release date yet, but September is the rumour.
Gideon Coe played a song from the album, entitled 'Downstairs', on wednesday night on 6 Music. You can hear the song by using the 'listen again' feature on said radio station's website. It sounds unsurprisingly brilliant, tense, dark and powerful. There's definitely a bit of Joy Division in there. Sounds like they have gone with the slow, brooding sound that they used on the 'Here It Never Snowed...' EP but who knows what the rest of the record sounds like?
Well, if you want to know, you may well find out some more by attending one of the recently announced UK gigs listed below...
13 May - Rainbow, Birmingham, UK
14 May - Water Margin, Brighton, UK (The Great Escape)
15 May - Audio, Brighton, UK (The Great Escape)
17 May - Bullingdon Arms, Oxford, UK
19 May - Joiners Arms, Southampton, UK
20 May - Fleece, Bristol, UK
21 May - Stag & Dagger, London, UK
22 May - Stag & Dagger, Leeds, UK
23 May - Stag & Dagger, Glasgow, UK
Gideon Coe played a song from the album, entitled 'Downstairs', on wednesday night on 6 Music. You can hear the song by using the 'listen again' feature on said radio station's website. It sounds unsurprisingly brilliant, tense, dark and powerful. There's definitely a bit of Joy Division in there. Sounds like they have gone with the slow, brooding sound that they used on the 'Here It Never Snowed...' EP but who knows what the rest of the record sounds like?
Well, if you want to know, you may well find out some more by attending one of the recently announced UK gigs listed below...
13 May - Rainbow, Birmingham, UK
14 May - Water Margin, Brighton, UK (The Great Escape)
15 May - Audio, Brighton, UK (The Great Escape)
17 May - Bullingdon Arms, Oxford, UK
19 May - Joiners Arms, Southampton, UK
20 May - Fleece, Bristol, UK
21 May - Stag & Dagger, London, UK
22 May - Stag & Dagger, Leeds, UK
23 May - Stag & Dagger, Glasgow, UK
Monday, 2 March 2009
The Twilight Sad 'EP'
In my opinion The Twilight Sad are making some of the finest music coming out of the UK at the moment. Mixing great lyrics, soaring anthems, white noise feedback and a frontman with one of the strongest (and most Scottish) voices around, they've made a great debut album and followed it up with a couple of excellent EPs. Even better, they are showing no signs of resting on their laurels and are changing and moving forward with their sound, with a new LP due in September.
'EP' is actually their debut release, recorded way back in 2006 and only made available in the U.S. It has taken T&G quite some time to track it down (thanks to Norman Records for getting some in stock) and so I thought I may as well write about it now that I've finally heard it.
'EP' contains three of the finest tracks from the 'Fourteen Autumns and Fifteen Winters' and two songs that didn't make the cut. Those are... 'But When She Left, Gone Was The Glow' a brooding, accordian led piece which reminds me of their cover of 'Some Things Last A Long Time' and 'Three Seconds Of Dead Air' an eight-minute epic ending with a terrific avalanche of noise.
The three songs from 'Fourteen Autumns...' sound as superb as ever of course. Another thing I love about TSS is their song titles. Some, maybe all, of them seem to be lines from works of literature. 'Last Summer At Home I had become the Invisible Boy' is from Stand By Me and 'Here It Never Snowed, Afterward It Did' is from 'Stand By Me'....would like to hear from anyone who can place any of the other titles...
'EP' is actually their debut release, recorded way back in 2006 and only made available in the U.S. It has taken T&G quite some time to track it down (thanks to Norman Records for getting some in stock) and so I thought I may as well write about it now that I've finally heard it.
'EP' contains three of the finest tracks from the 'Fourteen Autumns and Fifteen Winters' and two songs that didn't make the cut. Those are... 'But When She Left, Gone Was The Glow' a brooding, accordian led piece which reminds me of their cover of 'Some Things Last A Long Time' and 'Three Seconds Of Dead Air' an eight-minute epic ending with a terrific avalanche of noise.
The three songs from 'Fourteen Autumns...' sound as superb as ever of course. Another thing I love about TSS is their song titles. Some, maybe all, of them seem to be lines from works of literature. 'Last Summer At Home I had become the Invisible Boy' is from Stand By Me and 'Here It Never Snowed, Afterward It Did' is from 'Stand By Me'....would like to hear from anyone who can place any of the other titles...
Tuesday, 16 December 2008
Top 10 Albums of the Year
here at last are the T&G top 10 records of the year....and after all the stuff written on here about American bands, the top 3 albums this year are from English, Scottish and Irish artists...
1- Tindersticks ‘The Hungry Saw’
What can I say about this album that I haven’t said already? A creative, vibrant record that is more than a match for any of their wonderful previous albums. In ‘Mother Dear’ it has the most atmospheric, tension filled ballad they have ever written and in ‘Boobar’, the most magical, Spector-ish pop song. Just fantastic. And album of the year.
2- The Twilight Sad ‘Here It Never Snowed, Afterwards It Did’
How do you top making one of the albums of 2007? If you’re the Twilight Sad, you make a mini-album featuring complete re-workings of several songs from that album. ‘Here It Never Snowed…’ took away much of the noise and the pace from the songs, stripping them down and highlighting James Graham’s amazing vocals. Both sounds work equally well and the band are now combining the two sounds at live shows. The album also featured a new song, plus a cover of Daniel Johnston’s ‘Some Things Last A Long Time’. The best new British band to emerge for a decade.
3- The Sleeping Years ‘We’re Becoming Islands, One By One’
Ex-Catchers singer/songwriter Dale Grundle returned in 2008 with this quietly triumphant set of songs about home, memories and heritage. It didn’t get a tenth of the attention it deserved but these are wonderful songs, held together by Grundle’s soothing voice. ‘Macosquin, Coleraine' is one of the songs of the year, a simple arrangement with acousic guitar and handclaps, I can’t stop playing it!
4- Fleet Foxes ‘Fleet Foxes’
A grower. Initially pleasant but unremarkable (the instantly catchy ‘White Winter Hymnal’ apart), the melodies creep up on you and you finding yourself singing them and then wondering what they are. Gorgeous harmonies mixed with old fashioned guitar sounds and of course Robin Pecknold is an amazing singer. How do they top this though?
5- Beck ‘Modern Guilt’
A 33 minute collection of short, sharp bursts of energy. This is a really exciting record that sounds great from start to finish. Highlight is ‘Chemtrails’ which is perhaps the single of the year and sounds amazing played loudly through headphones!
6- Stephen Malkmus and The Jicks ‘Real Emotional Trash’
Most pleasing post-Pavement album from Malkmus. Stunning guitar jams, especially on the title track, which is a complete tour-de-force.
7- The Mountain Goats ‘Heretic Pride’
Really consistent album from John Darnielle and more up-beat than previous offerings. ‘Lovecraft in Brooklyn’ and ‘Sax Rohmer’ are two of the best TMG rockers to date. As ever, lyrically supreme.
8- Jenny Lewis ‘Acid Tongue’
Beautifully produced with plenty of space for each instrument, this is a great old-fashioned sounding record with some gorgeous ballads. Highlight though is the thrilling duet with Elvis Costello.
9- The Dodos ‘Visitor’
Innovative sounds, great use of rhythm and simply some great sing-along songs.
10- American Music Club ‘The Golden Age’
New line-up, a lighter touch and a couple of bona-fide AMC classics (‘Sleeping Beauty’, ‘The Dance). A couple of filler tracks too though but this is still more gold from Eitzel.
1- Tindersticks ‘The Hungry Saw’
What can I say about this album that I haven’t said already? A creative, vibrant record that is more than a match for any of their wonderful previous albums. In ‘Mother Dear’ it has the most atmospheric, tension filled ballad they have ever written and in ‘Boobar’, the most magical, Spector-ish pop song. Just fantastic. And album of the year.
2- The Twilight Sad ‘Here It Never Snowed, Afterwards It Did’
How do you top making one of the albums of 2007? If you’re the Twilight Sad, you make a mini-album featuring complete re-workings of several songs from that album. ‘Here It Never Snowed…’ took away much of the noise and the pace from the songs, stripping them down and highlighting James Graham’s amazing vocals. Both sounds work equally well and the band are now combining the two sounds at live shows. The album also featured a new song, plus a cover of Daniel Johnston’s ‘Some Things Last A Long Time’. The best new British band to emerge for a decade.
3- The Sleeping Years ‘We’re Becoming Islands, One By One’
Ex-Catchers singer/songwriter Dale Grundle returned in 2008 with this quietly triumphant set of songs about home, memories and heritage. It didn’t get a tenth of the attention it deserved but these are wonderful songs, held together by Grundle’s soothing voice. ‘Macosquin, Coleraine' is one of the songs of the year, a simple arrangement with acousic guitar and handclaps, I can’t stop playing it!
4- Fleet Foxes ‘Fleet Foxes’
A grower. Initially pleasant but unremarkable (the instantly catchy ‘White Winter Hymnal’ apart), the melodies creep up on you and you finding yourself singing them and then wondering what they are. Gorgeous harmonies mixed with old fashioned guitar sounds and of course Robin Pecknold is an amazing singer. How do they top this though?
5- Beck ‘Modern Guilt’
A 33 minute collection of short, sharp bursts of energy. This is a really exciting record that sounds great from start to finish. Highlight is ‘Chemtrails’ which is perhaps the single of the year and sounds amazing played loudly through headphones!
6- Stephen Malkmus and The Jicks ‘Real Emotional Trash’
Most pleasing post-Pavement album from Malkmus. Stunning guitar jams, especially on the title track, which is a complete tour-de-force.
7- The Mountain Goats ‘Heretic Pride’
Really consistent album from John Darnielle and more up-beat than previous offerings. ‘Lovecraft in Brooklyn’ and ‘Sax Rohmer’ are two of the best TMG rockers to date. As ever, lyrically supreme.
8- Jenny Lewis ‘Acid Tongue’
Beautifully produced with plenty of space for each instrument, this is a great old-fashioned sounding record with some gorgeous ballads. Highlight though is the thrilling duet with Elvis Costello.
9- The Dodos ‘Visitor’
Innovative sounds, great use of rhythm and simply some great sing-along songs.
10- American Music Club ‘The Golden Age’
New line-up, a lighter touch and a couple of bona-fide AMC classics (‘Sleeping Beauty’, ‘The Dance). A couple of filler tracks too though but this is still more gold from Eitzel.
Saturday, 22 November 2008
The Twilight Sad '...Killed My Parents and Hit The Road'
I may have said this before, but The Twilight Sad can do no wrong.
They followed up 2007's revelatory debut '14 Autumns and 15 Winters' with a mini-album 'Here It Never Snowed...' which showed a completely different side to their sound, offering slower, tension filled versions of some of their songs. Now, they return with a compilation of live tracks, instrumentals and covers released to fund their participation in a European tour with Mogwai.
There are four live versions of tracks from '14 Autumns...' recorded at a gig in Glasgow, all sounding absolutely great and truly ear-shredding. 'Cold Days From The Birdhouse' in particular starts slow and brooding but you are just waiting for the crescendo to hit and when it does the explosion of noise and feedback just makes you wish you'd been at the gig. A live cover of Joy Division's 'Twenty Four Hours' is similar, starting off with an almost jaunty bassline it is drenched in guitar noise before the first minute is over, somehow James Graham's vocal still manages to hold the attention, sounding in turns aggressive and then sensitive.
The cover of The Smiths' 'Half A Person' meanwhile is gentle and acoustic. Their take on Yeah Yeah Yeahs' 'Modern Romance' is quite brilliant, Graham sings softly over a guitar refrain, all sounding wonderfully intimate.
For the third straight release The Twilight Sad sound confident and adventurous. Their next album proper, due in 2009, should be quite something.
9.0
['The Twilight Sad Killed My Parents and Hit The Road' is streaming now at Fat Cat Records's website and is out on mp3 and cd on 8th December from indie stores only (way to go!)]
They followed up 2007's revelatory debut '14 Autumns and 15 Winters' with a mini-album 'Here It Never Snowed...' which showed a completely different side to their sound, offering slower, tension filled versions of some of their songs. Now, they return with a compilation of live tracks, instrumentals and covers released to fund their participation in a European tour with Mogwai.
There are four live versions of tracks from '14 Autumns...' recorded at a gig in Glasgow, all sounding absolutely great and truly ear-shredding. 'Cold Days From The Birdhouse' in particular starts slow and brooding but you are just waiting for the crescendo to hit and when it does the explosion of noise and feedback just makes you wish you'd been at the gig. A live cover of Joy Division's 'Twenty Four Hours' is similar, starting off with an almost jaunty bassline it is drenched in guitar noise before the first minute is over, somehow James Graham's vocal still manages to hold the attention, sounding in turns aggressive and then sensitive.
The cover of The Smiths' 'Half A Person' meanwhile is gentle and acoustic. Their take on Yeah Yeah Yeahs' 'Modern Romance' is quite brilliant, Graham sings softly over a guitar refrain, all sounding wonderfully intimate.
For the third straight release The Twilight Sad sound confident and adventurous. Their next album proper, due in 2009, should be quite something.
9.0
['The Twilight Sad Killed My Parents and Hit The Road' is streaming now at Fat Cat Records's website and is out on mp3 and cd on 8th December from indie stores only (way to go!)]
Wednesday, 29 October 2008
Twilight Sad tour cd
Apologies for lack of updates. Likeanyoneisbothered. Haven't had time to listen to albums, let alone review them lately.
Anyway, news reaches me that the utterly brilliant Twilight Sad (check the archives for reviews) are releasing a limited edition EP which is a marvellous mix of live tracks and covers. TracksandGigs particularly wants to hear their version of 'Half A Person'. Unfortunately, the EP which is brilliantly named 'The Twilight Sad Killed My Parents and Went On The Road' is only available at their European shows, supporting Mogwai. I will eat my hat if it isn't released through their Myspace or somewhere soon though, so keep an eye out. Track listing below:
01 Walking for Two Hours (live)
02 That Summer, At Home I Had Become the Invisible Boy (live)
03 Untitled #28
04 Cold Days From the Birdhouse (live)
05 And She Would Darken the Memory (live)
06 Twenty Four Hours [Joy Division cover]
07 The Weather Is Bad
08 Half a Person [The Smiths cover]
09 Untitled #27
10 Modern Romance [Yeah Yeah Yeahs cover]
11 I Was Hoping the Winter Was Over
Saturday, 28 June 2008
songs of the year so far
'Albums of the year' lists should only be produced in December when there has been time for records to sink in and 'mature'. Some records are Summer albums and some are perfect for Winter (such as most Innocence Mission albums), so there will be no decision made on an album of the year here until December and there will be no '....so far' list. However, it seems perfectly fine to do a 'top 5 songs of the year so far' list so here are the five songs that have most pleased TracksandGigs this year. This is of course a personal selection and I would welcome any other picks, just leave a comment...
1. American Music Club 'Sleeping Beauty'
Every new AMC/Eitzel album seems to bring at least one brand new Mark Eitzel classic. 'The Golden Age' contains two or three, but best of all is 'Sleeping Beauty', a song on a par with classics like 'Western Sky' and 'Blue and Grey Shirt'. It takes a special songwriter to write a song this visual and vivid, so that it is impossible to listen to without a picture of the scene forming in your mind. The lyric is heartbreaking and the music fits the words perfectly, building in the right places and the "fly in a jar.." finish where the music builds to almost drown out Eitzel is brilliant. Just superb and the most perfect piece of music TracksandGigs has heard in 2008 so far.
2. Tindersticks 'Boobar'
There are some great songs on the new Tindersticks album but 'Boobar' is just about the best and one of the best things they have ever recorded. Written about searching for something that is lost, Stuart Staples sings this so well, Neil Fraser plays great guitar and is at last at the centre of the song after years of being drowned out by Dickon Hinchcliffe's violin and the Spector-ish call and response vocals are magical.
3. The Sleeping Years 'Macosquin, Coleraine'
It had been too long to wait for a new Dale Grundle record and 'We're Becoming Islands One By One' was worth the wait. This track is the highlight, like many on the album it is a song about home. A simple arrangement, acoustic guitar, handclaps and vocals and a beautiful song.
4. The Twilight Sad 'Some Things Last A Long Time'
The band who can currently do no wrong here recorded this Daniel Johnston cover for their new EP. Stripping the song right down makes James Gordon's vocal sound unbelievably powerful and raw. Powerful and haunting.
5. The Dodos 'Fools'
The Dodos album is a really enjoyable listen. Lots of strumming, harmonies and great percussion. This is the highlight and will probably be used on some advert or BBC intro by the end of the year. Catchy and exciting.
Here's to the second half of 2008 being as good as the first.
1. American Music Club 'Sleeping Beauty'
Every new AMC/Eitzel album seems to bring at least one brand new Mark Eitzel classic. 'The Golden Age' contains two or three, but best of all is 'Sleeping Beauty', a song on a par with classics like 'Western Sky' and 'Blue and Grey Shirt'. It takes a special songwriter to write a song this visual and vivid, so that it is impossible to listen to without a picture of the scene forming in your mind. The lyric is heartbreaking and the music fits the words perfectly, building in the right places and the "fly in a jar.." finish where the music builds to almost drown out Eitzel is brilliant. Just superb and the most perfect piece of music TracksandGigs has heard in 2008 so far.
2. Tindersticks 'Boobar'
There are some great songs on the new Tindersticks album but 'Boobar' is just about the best and one of the best things they have ever recorded. Written about searching for something that is lost, Stuart Staples sings this so well, Neil Fraser plays great guitar and is at last at the centre of the song after years of being drowned out by Dickon Hinchcliffe's violin and the Spector-ish call and response vocals are magical.
3. The Sleeping Years 'Macosquin, Coleraine'
It had been too long to wait for a new Dale Grundle record and 'We're Becoming Islands One By One' was worth the wait. This track is the highlight, like many on the album it is a song about home. A simple arrangement, acoustic guitar, handclaps and vocals and a beautiful song.
4. The Twilight Sad 'Some Things Last A Long Time'
The band who can currently do no wrong here recorded this Daniel Johnston cover for their new EP. Stripping the song right down makes James Gordon's vocal sound unbelievably powerful and raw. Powerful and haunting.
5. The Dodos 'Fools'
The Dodos album is a really enjoyable listen. Lots of strumming, harmonies and great percussion. This is the highlight and will probably be used on some advert or BBC intro by the end of the year. Catchy and exciting.
Here's to the second half of 2008 being as good as the first.
Saturday, 7 June 2008
The Twilight Sad 'Here, It Never Snowed. Afterwards It Did'
The Twilight Sad's debut album '14 Autumns and 15 Winters', from nowhere, was one of the highlights of last year. The Glasgow band mixed passionate vocals, loud guitars and a pounding rhythm section to create a sound that occasionally resembled My Bloody Valentine fronted by one of the Proclaimers. That is meant to be a compliment, the album was one of the best five released last year and gets played on the 'TracksandGigs stereo' extremely regularly.
This new EP is designed to show another side of the band. It features four new recordings of songs from the LP, a new song and a Daniel Johnston cover. The arrangements are very different, far more restrained and the band never unleash their 'full on noise' as they often do on '14 Autumns..'. This turns the focus to the vocals and the melodies and reveal James Graham to be a quite amazing singer. Losing none of the passion he shows on the bands louder recordings, he twists and turns the lyrics of these songs to give them a different feel to the earlier recordings.
'And She Would Darken The Memory' in particular is stunning here. Building slowly into a dense soundscape but never cutting loose, with violin and organ used to great effect, it circles the listener creating a truly haunting effect. The Daniel Johnston cover 'Some Things Last A Long Time' is another highlight using space and tension in a similar way to 'Talking With Fireworks' from the LP.
The first time you listen to this EP, you keep expecting the band to cut loose and use the wall of sound guitar sound as they did on the album. They never do, instead using tension, reverb and slow builds to create an entirely different sound but with the same passion in the vocals. This is a very confident release for such a young group and shows a band who are ready to try different ideas and experiment with their sound. Its a great companion to '14 Autumns..' and we await the follow up LP with very high hopes.
9.1
'Here It Never Snowed...' is out now on Fat Cat Records on LP/CD/download.
This new EP is designed to show another side of the band. It features four new recordings of songs from the LP, a new song and a Daniel Johnston cover. The arrangements are very different, far more restrained and the band never unleash their 'full on noise' as they often do on '14 Autumns..'. This turns the focus to the vocals and the melodies and reveal James Graham to be a quite amazing singer. Losing none of the passion he shows on the bands louder recordings, he twists and turns the lyrics of these songs to give them a different feel to the earlier recordings.
'And She Would Darken The Memory' in particular is stunning here. Building slowly into a dense soundscape but never cutting loose, with violin and organ used to great effect, it circles the listener creating a truly haunting effect. The Daniel Johnston cover 'Some Things Last A Long Time' is another highlight using space and tension in a similar way to 'Talking With Fireworks' from the LP.
The first time you listen to this EP, you keep expecting the band to cut loose and use the wall of sound guitar sound as they did on the album. They never do, instead using tension, reverb and slow builds to create an entirely different sound but with the same passion in the vocals. This is a very confident release for such a young group and shows a band who are ready to try different ideas and experiment with their sound. Its a great companion to '14 Autumns..' and we await the follow up LP with very high hopes.
9.1
'Here It Never Snowed...' is out now on Fat Cat Records on LP/CD/download.
Saturday, 26 April 2008
new Twilight Sad song
just a quick update, because my first week of working in London has left me feeling absolutely shattered and I've just been listening to Bon Iver on repeat all week anyway....
But! There is a new song on The Twilight Sad's Myspace! It is dark, brooding, menacing and hmm, almost shares a title with one of the tracks from their debut album. Almost, but not quite. 'Here It Never Snowed, Afterwards it did' is from a forthcoming EP, of which little is known so far.
You can hear it at.... http://www.myspace.com/thetwilightsad
But! There is a new song on The Twilight Sad's Myspace! It is dark, brooding, menacing and hmm, almost shares a title with one of the tracks from their debut album. Almost, but not quite. 'Here It Never Snowed, Afterwards it did' is from a forthcoming EP, of which little is known so far.
You can hear it at.... http://www.myspace.com/thetwilightsad
Thursday, 10 April 2008
song of the day- The Twilight Sad 'That Summer, at home, I had become the invisible boy'
Despite the fact that I can barely stop playing Sun Kil Moon's 'April' album at the moment and consider it a masterpiece in the art of songwriting (I'm particularly bewitched by the creepy, tightrope walk of 'Heron Blue' at the moment), today's 'song of the day'* is 'That Summer, At Home, I Had Become The Invisible Boy' by The Twilight Sad.
The Sad are great. They remind me of two things I like very much: Scotland....and Anger. Scotland, Edinburgh in particular, is one of my favourite places in the World and no-one sings in a broader Scottish accent than The Sad's singer James Graham and...well, come on, we all enjoy a bit of anger.
'Last Summer...' is simply glorious. Opening with a pounding drum beat, the first 90 seconds is all simmering aggression and it builds, and builds until it becomes a magnificent wall of sound, white noise and fury. I have previously compared The Twilight Sad to The Proclaimers backed by My Bloody Valentine, but in truth no comparison does them justice: to make a song sound this angry, this furious, this demented, but still keep a lovely melody going is a work of true genius. It is cold and brutal but somehow, at the same time, warm and engaging.
I play this song when I'm angry. Its a song to play loud, almost until your ears bleed. I play it when I am thinking about the people who have wronged me, or when I am full of righteous indignation at slow people in the fast lane at the swimming pool, as I swim past them and think "why don't you go in the bloody slow lane?", I hear James Graham in my head singing "and they're plotting behind your baaaaack". Yes they are James.
The best thing of all is that the next song on the album, 'Walking For Two Hours' is equally brilliant. It conjurs up images of long cold hikes in Scottish hills, walking for miles without seeing another human being. It is as cold as ice. It also makes me think of Dalry Swim Centre, the best swimming pool in the world.
There you are then, The Twilight Sad....absolutely brilliant.
If you do not already own their album 'Fourteen Autumns and Fifteen Winters', you must be mad, but luckily you can read about it, buy it and hear tracks that will make your hair curl here..
http://fat-cat.co.uk/fatcat/release.php?id=221
The Sad are great. They remind me of two things I like very much: Scotland....and Anger. Scotland, Edinburgh in particular, is one of my favourite places in the World and no-one sings in a broader Scottish accent than The Sad's singer James Graham and...well, come on, we all enjoy a bit of anger.
'Last Summer...' is simply glorious. Opening with a pounding drum beat, the first 90 seconds is all simmering aggression and it builds, and builds until it becomes a magnificent wall of sound, white noise and fury. I have previously compared The Twilight Sad to The Proclaimers backed by My Bloody Valentine, but in truth no comparison does them justice: to make a song sound this angry, this furious, this demented, but still keep a lovely melody going is a work of true genius. It is cold and brutal but somehow, at the same time, warm and engaging.
I play this song when I'm angry. Its a song to play loud, almost until your ears bleed. I play it when I am thinking about the people who have wronged me, or when I am full of righteous indignation at slow people in the fast lane at the swimming pool, as I swim past them and think "why don't you go in the bloody slow lane?", I hear James Graham in my head singing "and they're plotting behind your baaaaack". Yes they are James.
The best thing of all is that the next song on the album, 'Walking For Two Hours' is equally brilliant. It conjurs up images of long cold hikes in Scottish hills, walking for miles without seeing another human being. It is as cold as ice. It also makes me think of Dalry Swim Centre, the best swimming pool in the world.
There you are then, The Twilight Sad....absolutely brilliant.
If you do not already own their album 'Fourteen Autumns and Fifteen Winters', you must be mad, but luckily you can read about it, buy it and hear tracks that will make your hair curl here..
http://fat-cat.co.uk/fatcat/release.php?id=221
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