Album Review: The Twilight Sad – Forget the Night Ahead

October 8, 2009
by
1 min read

by Jack Diablo

Label: FatCat Records
Release Date: September 22, 2009
Don’t look now but there is a Scottish Invasion gathering force, ready to cross the pond and poised to take over the American sound-waves. As ominous as it may sound, I assure you that this is nothing to fear, nor is it an idle threat. In fact, it’s possibly one of the best things to happen to indie music this year.
Facilitating this “invasion” of sorts is none other than Brighton, England’s FatCat Records, home to pre-Strawberry Jam Animal Collective and a host of indie, experimental and post-rock bands. The Twilight Sad could be said to be the embodiment of the FatCat ethos as they combine elements of all three genres. Their sophomore full-length, Forget the Night Ahead is a tasty sampling of what could very well be the future of indie rock.
The album begins with ‘Reflection of the Television,’ a song that gets played every time a certain friend of mine rides shotgun in my car. The noisy guitars and tom-tom intro could fit right into a Young Widows track, but where Young Widows would get even more dissonant and border-line post-hardcore, the Twilight Sad add a little more melody and atmosphere to the mix, but just a pinch. Much like tour and label-mates We Were Promised Jetpacks, the vocals maintain singer James Graham’s heavy Scottish accent. The effect is a certain spacey darkness that pervades the tone of the entire album. Before the vocals drop in ‘I Became A Prostitute,’ the tremolo guitar intro could fool you into classifying this band as post-rock, but it’s an influence more so than a strict adherence to genre conventions. ‘Seven Years of Letters’ is the catchiest tune on the album but stays true to the band’s noise and experimental roots whereas tracks like ‘Scissors’ with it’s instrumental noise and ‘Floorboards Under the Bed’ are true nods to the band’s genesis of experimenting with tape loops, theremins and toy keyboards before they recorded their first song.
The list of bands that the Twilight Sad has supported on previous tours is a testament to their wide-spread appeal. From mainstream acts like Snow Patrol, to the Americana of Mich P. Hinson to the post-rock powerhouse Mogwai, they have wowed audiences of every persuasion. The aforementioned invasion kicks into full gear as they tour the US with fellow Scots FatCat-ers We Were Promised Jetpacks and Frightened Rabbit. Catch the action on the front line when they storm Orlando’s the Social on September 29th.

Folio is your guide to entertainment and culture around and near Jacksonville, Florida. We cover events, concerts, restaurants, theatre, sports, art, happenings, and all things about living and visiting Jax. Folio serves more than two million readers across Jacksonville and Northeast Florida, including St. Augustine, The Beaches, and Fernandina.

Current Issue

Recent Posts

SUBMIT EVENTS

Submit Events

Advertisements

Blackberry Smoke at the AMP

Date

Title

Current Month

Follow FOLIO!

Previous Story

Interview: Alan Palomo of Neon Indian

Next Story

absente

Latest from Music

New Music Releases November

Nov. 1 The Cure  “Songs of a Lost World” The English new wave/alternative rock band that has given us numerous songs such as “Love Song,” “Just Like Heaven,” “Pictures of You and more is releasing their 14th studio album this November. While their fame was at its peak in the

Notes on Dave Koz

Words by Shelton Hull It’s Jacksonville, and it is the holiday season, and that means Dave Koz & Friends are bringing their Christmas Tour back to the Florida Theatre. It’s the Koz’s 15th appearance there since 2014, making him one of the venue’s most popular acts over the past decade.

The Persuit of Release

Words and Photos by Amiyah Golden I was recently able to immerse myself into the mind of local artist Chris Rudasill with his EP, “Blood on Blood” which I had the privilege of reviewing a couple issues back. My thoughts before came simply as a blind consumer, without getting

November Concerts

Nov. 1 Kale That Raps Blue Jay Listening Room bluejayjax.com I Am Sent Murray Hill Theatre murrayhilltheatre.com Havok Kona Clubhouse konaskatepark.com Nov. 1-2 Goose St. Augustine Amphitheatre theamp.com Nov. 2 Taylor Hunnicutt Jack Rabbits jaxlive.com Pop Evil Jack Rabbits jaxlive.com Chelsea Saddler Blue Jay

Jax Punx

Words and photos by Amiyah Golden  Music bridges the gap between language, experiences, culture and so many other contrasting entities that make up the individual human experience. And while we live in an extremely divisive climate today — the shared giddiness of blasting sublime tunes from your favorite artist
July 5th Cleanup
GoUp

Don't Miss

The Avett Brothers

November 15 The Avett Brothers St. Augustine Amphitheatre (904) 471-1965

Paula Poundstone

Paula Poundstone “Twitter is the postcards in my head.” It’s