There’s something about Scotland. Mysterious, seeing as how so many North Americans consider Scotland as England’s little brother. And hard-edged and gritty, thanks to the influence of pop culture mainstays such as Trainspotting and Sean Connery. Now granted, these impressions of Scotland only graze the surface of a country steeped in history and tradition. But it’s only fitting, as the grit and mystery of The Twilight Sad’s latest release, Forget The Night Ahead are what make the Kilsyth foursome’s second LP so damn appealing.
The first thing that caught my ear was the earnest vocals of James Graham. And it’s not just the accent, though points are deservedly handed out for Graham’s ability not to hide his thick, native tongue. A lesser band may have crumbled under pressure from record labels to sound accessible to the masses. But it’s the manner in which Graham pounds home each syllable amidst crashing percussion and a wall of wailing, driving guitars that presents a remarkable synergy.
Impossible to categorize, Forget The Night Ahead is at once a dark, brooding record full of heavy-handed imagery and sounds equally as melancholic while all the while wreaking of optimism. Forget The Night Ahead never tries to contain any emotions. They pour out like a burst watermain, especially on the swirling “Made To Disappear,” which features the sort of defiant crescendos bands that put The Twilight Sad in a league of their own.
Forget The Night Ahead certainly a heavier move for the band, after their debut LP, the critically-lauded Fourteen Autumns and Fifteen Winters. Distortion and pure noise are the order of the day, with tracks like the haunting “Scissors” contributing very little in the way of harmonies. But as stated, it’s a terribly honest sound and a bold move for the band. Forget The Night Ahead lends itself to defiant emotion and does so with a palpable sense of friction and poise.
By Joshua Kloke
[Rating: 3/5]
