THE TWILIGHT SAD [Single, EP]

On the surface, there's nothing about The Twilight Sad that's breaking new ground. They mix super-soaring guitar lines with pummeling rhythm sections and some Scottish-accent (Glasgow, ya'll) drenched vocals in the foreground that tell stories of woe with track titles that play out like chapters in some imaginary story where the protagonist is dreaming of better things to come. Five songs stretch out to just over twenty-five minutes, yet feel like a bit more than that (in a good way), as the young group creates some of the most majestic moments I've heard on a release in some time.

"But When She Left, Gone Was The Glow" opens their debut release and builds the tension nicely, with wheezy accordion, filtered percussion and subdued vocals giving way to some massive drums and spiraling guitar tones that absolutely blister. "That Summer, At Home I Had Become The Invisible Boy" continues things with pounding drums, some more accordion and anthematic guitars that sway back and forth until a huge middle section that again finds the group unloading with everything they've got. Lyrically, they manages to convey a sense of youthful misdirection and melancholy that works with their sound.

"Last Year's Rain Didn't Fall Quite So Hard" arrives halfway through the EP and provides a short bit of breathing room before the group heads right back into an even more thunderous closing. With the final two tracks being the longest ones on the release, they take their time even more with building their huge walls of sound. "And She Would Darken The Memory" is particularly successful, starting out sounding like a melancholy Walkmen track before piling and piling on more layers on the way to a huge blowout ending. Recorded by Max Richter (who is more known for his modern classical work), this debut EP sounds equal parts epic and rough at the same time. While they're technically not doing anything that hasn't been done before, they've created some outstanding songs on the disc and I officially can't wait to hear what they do next.

(from almost cool music reviews)

This EP is wonderful. The Twilight Sad are true masters of crafting dark, heartfelt, lush melody. However, do yourself a favor and pick up their full-length, Fourteen Autumns and Fifteen Winters, instead. Three of the songs on this EP are contained on that album. The other two original tracks on this EP are great, but start out with their LP and you'll get a better feel for the band.

The Twilight Sad may bring you so many incredible bands to mind... yet at the same time you will have a hard time putting a tag on them. They may strike you as being as layered in their approach as My Bloody Valentine or Jesus Mary Chain, but they are certainly not a shoegazing act. They take the time to develop each of their tunes but they are no prima donnas or musical showoffs: they just do their job and a fine one at that. Produced by label mate Max Richter, this USA-only release shows what the foursome band from Glasgow are capable of. Fortunately, to quench your thirst for more of their great work, they released another album in 2007 called Fourteen Autumns Fifteen Winters. Definitely a great band to keep a close eye on.