Review: The Twilight Sad
Fourteen Autumns & Fifteen Winters
May 02, 07
Naming an album is a daunting task for most bands. How do you fully encompass the literal, figurative and ethereal notion of this collection of songs in such a way as to not lose something in the mix? Sometimes, an album name can make no sense whatsoever, regardless of the songs contained within. And sometimes, very rarely, a band gives their album a name that is so perfect to describe the contents within that it almost becomes the only thing you need to say to describe the artist or group that composed the music. Some previous examples the culture of me remembers off the top of the head:
Godspeed You! Black Emperor - Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven
NIN - The Downward Spiral
M83 - Before The Dawn Heals Us
Cursive - The Ugly Organ
Jawbreaker - 24 Hour Revenge Therapy
Radiohead - OK Computer
Mogwai - Come On Die Young
Moneen - Are We Really Happy with Who We Are Right Now?
Now I know that this list could go on and on and on, but this is a review, not a primer class. The reason I did that is because the debut LP from Scotland's The Twilight Sad, Fourteen Autumns & Fifteen Winters, is exactly at the top of these lists.
Chock full of slow-core anthems and purely gorgeous lyrics, Fourteen Autumns may only be forty-five minutes in length, but you'll be sure to lose yourself in it almost immediately. Droning guitars build soundscapes copped from the best of the noise and post-rock genres and the charging drums throughout are truly chill-inspiring. Fans of Tortoise, Kevin Shields or Spiritualized will immediately feel at home with this record. "Cold Days from the Birdhouse" and "Mapped by What Surrounded Them" are the culture of me's favorite cuts, but there's no need to resort to doing that. There may only be nine tracks, but you'll certainly find yourself lost in it for well past the last note. As a whole, the album never veers from the anthemic and with lyrics that'll make Roddy Woomble or Paul Banks tear up with envy, this is truly a band to keep both eyes on for the coming future.
(mp3) Cold Days From the Birdhouse
(mp3) Mapped by What Surrounded Them
Godspeed!
