Twin Shadow owes more than a little bit to the glistening synthpop of 80's bands such as Depeche Mode or The Blue Nile, and even a little to Echo & the Bunnymen. This adherence to a particular sound feels more akin to an honest love of that music than a careless attrempt to cash in on what he sees as a resurgence of interest in that particular vein of music. Without focusing too much on what some have dismissed as the "cold" aspects of synthpop and by allowing his songs to travel this well-worn territory without stamping out any trace of individuality, Twin Shadow tread familiar ground, while consistently evoking the mystery and haziness of the best of those 80's bands. The man behind Twin Shadows, George Lewis, Jr, creates wildly vivid songs that seem to be channeling some undefined traumas from his childhood, and with Chris Taylor of Grizzly Bear handling the production, the sonic palette, while limited, uses the standards of indie rock to filter out the dark, measured events of his upbringing. Not that this album relishes in its depression, it merely uses it as a starting point in the narrative arc of the album. Songs like "Castles In The Snow" and "Yellow Balloon" find Lewis bringing to bare the full complement of his songwriting styles, and along with Taylor, they mine these for a richly layered series of personal vignettes and half-forgotten, half-remembered memories. Lewis manages to evoke the spirit of the synthpop which he so obviously loves without losing the heart that allows this music to connect with the listener on a personal level.
Tracklisting:
01. Tyrant Destroyed
02. When We're Dancing
03. I Can't Wait
04. Shooting Holes at the Moon
05. At My Heels
06. Yellow Balloon
07. Tether Beat
08. Castles in the Snow (listen to the mp3 below)
09. For Now
10. Slow
11. Forget
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