Customer Reviews

Fourteen Autumns & Fifteen Winters

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Here they are, after hearing my cries for a great, new band, The Twilight Sad release one of the best albums of the past few years. From the start, the listener is draped within TTS's atmospheric sound and with it they promote a wondrous landscape. It's the perfect blend of Scottish folk, distortion and ambiance. All the post-modern, sonic guitars; slow, melodic drum beats; and piercing, droning sounds are blended perfectly with the soft vocals and acoustics. Imagine if you will the sonic, ambient sounds of a modern day, experimental band such as Explosions In The Sky but more traditionally structured with Scottish influences, such as how Big Country took the music of their era and conjured their sound. That is the picture you should envision when considering the sound of The Twilight Sad.

"Cold Days From The Birdhouse" serves as the ideal introduction for "Fourteen Autumns and Fifteen Winters". Beginning with acoustic guitars, a repetitious piano note and soft vocals, it ends after a climax of loud distorted sounds and perfectly demonstrates to the listen exactly what to expect throughout the rest of the album. "That Summer, At Home I Had Became the Invisible Boy" is one of the best songs of this year. It's the true gem of this wonderful album. In the song, singer, James Grahams' narratives explain a tragic tale that the narrator caused. "These walls are filled with blame" Graham expresses on "Mapped By What Surrounded Them".

The overall mood of the album as you should tell is melancholy. How could it not be when you name your band `The Twilight Sad' and have song titles such as "And She Would Darken The Memory" and "Last Years Rain Didn't Fall Quite So Hard" on your debut album "Fourteen Autumns and Fifteen Winters"? There are nine tracks on this album; the majority of which are over five minutes in length, none of them lackluster. There isn't a skippable track on here and none of them feature minutes of filler sounds or noises like most experimental bands will induce on the listener.

Without needing to get into too much more detail, this is my personal choice for album of the year at this point in early April. If for some reason another band comes along and knocks this from my top spot, I will more then welcome it. I would love to meet the artist(s) that can relinquish my obsession with this album.

Yes, singer James Graham has a thick accent. Get over it. Fourteen Autumns and Fifteen Winters is a lush, beautiful soundscape of pulsing, droning guitar haze layered with bright, rhythmic drumming, and poetic, heartfelt lyrics. Graham sings every word with import, convincing the listener that his words are truly his own, and not just the rambling bull of a man strapped for lyrics to put to his songs.

The songs are heavy. They are very, very heavy, but that in no way compromises their beauty. Despite the wall of sound that assaults the listener, the instruments are still apparent, the melody still perceivable, and the overall theme of the music is not lost. Fourteen Autumns and Fifteen Winters is an album to listen to as you cruise the highway in the dead of night. Listen to this album when you have time to ponder, and time to appreciate the effort that these lads and lasses from Glasgow have put out in order to make a gorgeous record for all of us to wallow in.

Though the songs are primarily dark in lyric and in music, the album is compelling, and somehow, uplifting. Give the Twilight Sad a chance, and I doubt you'll be disappointed. Don't be turned off by Graham's accent like I was at first. Give him time, and I assure you his voice will grow on you, and you'll realize that these songs couldn't be sung by any other voice.

After hearing the first two stunning tracks of this CD for the first time, I started thinking this album might be the Next Best Thing...and it's not. Unfortunately, a couple songs follow that lack melody and aren't that fantastic. At times these guys make beautiful noise, and at other times, well, they just make noise. There's lots of room for improvement, but it's a very impressive debut. And I love the guy's voice! (Yes, I laughed at the Groundskeeper Willie crack below, and there's an element of truth to that, but he can't help having an accent for crying out loud! And I happen to love it and think it makes them sound unique.)

At their best, these guys remind me a bit of the James album "Laid". And I wish they'd go just a bit more in that direction...slightly more melodic and less thrashy. I definitely look forward to hearing what these guys do next.

I can't stop listening to this album. Singer James Graham's thick brogue is startling at first, then heartily endearing- much like much of the album's material. The thick layers of noise, overdriven guitar, and accordion pull you into a wash of atmosphere and emotion, where the epic scope of the songs buried underneath tear through to your very core. Anyone who knocks this album for Graham's accent either simply didn't give him a chance or has no taste in music.

The Twilight Sad hail from Glasgow, Scotland (home of such other indie-buzz bands like Glasvegas and We Were Promised Jetpacks). On the basis of a four song demo that the band send in to Fat Cat Records, they were signed to the label, and after issuing a debut EP in the Fall of 2006, the band released this debut album in the Spring of 2007. Musically, certainly Mogwai comes to mind when listening to these guys, although the Twilight Sad's sound is certainly their own.

"Fourteen Autumns and Fifteen Winters" (9 tracks; 45 min.) starts off gently as a lamb on "Cold Days From the Birdhouse" which then ultimately comes crashing down with a searing wall of sound, and with that the stage is set for the entire album. Guitars are awash in reverb and the thundering drums keep things on a heavy pace. "That Summer, At Home I Had Become The Invisible Boy" is 1 of 3 tracks from the earlier EP that were retained for the album, and one of the highlights of the entire album (notwithstanding the unsettling lyrics such as "Kids are on fire in the bedroom"). Another highlight is the gentle "Last Year's Rain Didn't Fall Quite So Hard". But the best tracks for me towards the end of teh album: "And She Would Darken The Memory" and "I'm Taking the Train Home" are both long, hypnotizing pieces of music, just brilliant. The instrumental title track closes things off nicely.

In all, this is quite the promising debut album from these guys. Their follow-up album "Forget the Night Ahead" is slated to come out later this week. I had the good fortune of catching the Twilight Sad in concert at the Monolith festival at the Red Rocks in Colorado not long ago, and they put on a blazing performance, mixing songs from both the debut album and the soo to be released new album. Finally, if you wonder where you can here these guys, check out WOXY (BAM! The Future of Rock and Roll), the internet-only station that brings the best indie-music in the country, bar none.

If the boys from Dashboard Confessional or Interpol were raised in Glasgow, Scotland, had their mothers forgone the typical milk for pints of beer, if they were eating 72oz. steaks at the age of 3, if their body hair was rugged and manly, they might sound a lot like The Twilight Sad. At their most basic, The Twilight Sad doesn't sound too different from their run-of-the-mill whiny American counterparts. But they are so much more. They are louder, more powerful, more poetic, and worlds more talented.

Their most notable difference is the thick Scottish accent of frontman James Graham. When you first hear him "purr" out his Rs on "Cold Days From the Birdhouse," you know you're in for quite a different experience. The first time I heard him sing, "You make it your own, but this is where your arm can't go," I got goosebumps. I've been listening to the album for about a week, and the effect is still the same. It is definitely a standout on the album.

It is followed by the brilliant "That Summer, at Home I Had Become the Invisible Boy" in which Graham croons, "Kids are on fire in the bedroom" before erupting with one of the most authentic shouts I've ever heard on an album ("They're sitting around the table, and they're talking behind your back!"). It is beautifully composed and even features an accordion for good measure. The song is tense and feels like at any second it could explode into an all-out rock fest, but it never does. It's disappointing in a way, but at the same time you can't help but be impressed by it.

The biggest problem that I can point out on the album is the lack of variety in the songs. Each song is great, don't get me wrong, but they almost always start off calm before building into several layers of guitars, vocals, and drums in what is usually a distorted bridge or interlude. It is a small complaint, to be sure, but one that is definitely worth noting. Each song is great in its own right, but if you're not really paying attention, they might start to sound tired.

Overall, "Fourteen Autumns and Fifteen Winters" is a pretty awesome album! Of all the albums to release in 2007 so far, this one has rocked harder than any other I've come across. The Twilight Sad is a band with a lot of character and even more talent. In today's crowded field of indie rockers, they should have no problem differentiating themselves from the rest of the pack. If they're lucky, and if the world is just, they might just rise above the rest.

Recommended to fans of Interpol, The Walkmen, and anyone who really likes a good Scottish accent!

Key Tracks:
1. "Cold Days from the Birdhouse"
2. "That Summer, at Home I Had Become the Invisible Boy"
3. "Talking with Fireworks/Here, It Never Snowed"
4. "Mapped by What Surrounded Them"

7 out of 10 Stars

what can i say, refreshing to and more than enjoyable. A great cd whether its american or zimbabwean. Give it a listen and if you thing the scottish accent is too much you need to go blow short up a long anacondas pipe.

Along with The Field and Battles, The Twilight Sad makes 2007 a good start off for new sounds. This album may sound like an ordinary "indie" rock album, but the way the guitars are performed is very atmospheric that it even resembled Sigur Ros (Don't worry I'm not comparing them or anything, just saying their guitars are thick layered). In general, this album contains both power and softness, and the band members really know how to perform as an ensemble.
and stop bitching about the vocalist's Scottish accent.

This one made my "Best Albums of 2007" list (see http://www.amazon.com/Best-Albums-of-2007/lm/R1TUKG73VXM141/ref=cm_lm_byauthor_title_full). I am not sure how I found out about this band, probably from one of the music blogs I subscribe to or from metacritic.com. The singer sings with a thick Scottish accent which makes it hard to understand the words sometimes but it also makes it fun to sing along with. All in all, a very admirable debut.

If you like The Walkmen and Interpol, you'll love these guys. I am in new band love right now. Plus they have awesome accents that will melt your heart, or maybe I'm just too American...