Autumn’s the perfect time of year for this type of music. Bleak but beautiful, The Twilight Sad’s latest release is just what you need for a rainy day that suits your rainy mood.
The original version of ‘Nobody Wants To Be Here & Nobody Wants To Leave’ is a far heavier affair, at least in the realm of indie music. In this case the song takes on an alternative form in acoustic form. By stripping it down, the tracks transform in to endearing, emotive ballads, miles away from the sound effects and percussion of their usual stuff.
The band’s brooding sound continues on ‘Last January’ and ‘It Never Was the Same’. The original, again, is very different to this version. Rather than echoing guitars and a driving bassline, the haunting vocals take over the sound. There’s something that a lot of people love about a lonely and isolated vocal and singer James Graham’s kick you right in the feelings.
Having thrown away the electro sounds and snares of ‘I Could Give You All That You Don’t Want’ and ‘Drown So I Can Watch’, every shred of dancing beats has disappeared and we’re left with melancholy. These songs haven’t been designed to show off or make a scene; their simplicity is what makes them stand out. Bearing in mind this album is the recording of a live session, we can only imagine it sounds even more stunning in the same room as the band.
We’ve all heard the big names that hail from Scotland and comparisons to Frightened Rabbit are inevitable, but The Twilight Sad aren’t on everyone’s radar. ‘Oran Mor Session’ isn’t a smash hit, but it’s a pleasant way to start listening to the band if you haven’t heard them before and a definite winner for existing fans.
KATHRYN BLACK