Album Review: Twin Shadow- “Forget”

To say that everything that producer and Grizzly Bear bassist Chris Taylor touches turns to gold would be a misstatement. It’s more like everything he touches turns into a hazy rainbow of indie genius. This is apparent on one of his record label’s latest releases, Twin Shadow’s Forget.

Twin Shadow is George Wilson, Jr., a gifted singer with a strange past and a penchant for constructing nostalgic, very danceable songs that some classify as chillwave. References to ‘80s new wave are easy to make while listening to his debut album, Forget, and Wilson is clearly a product of the modern indie scene. But that does not obscure how good this album is from start to finish.

Each song is infused with a mixture of synthesizers, shimmering guitars, drum machine beats, and catchy bass lines that are layered together to a precise, almost mathematical perfection. Chris Taylor stretches out the tunes, giving them depth and detailed flourishes that invite repeated listening. Every verse flows effortlessly into its chorus, and each song flows into the next. In this way, Forget achieves a feat that is rare these days: its can be listened to from beginning to end, and yet its songs are also effective individually. Lewis does borrow some sounds from the likes of Beach House and Grizzly Bear, from the drenched keyboards that threaten to fall out of tune on “When We’re Dancing” to the trippy picked guitar on the title track. But overall, Lewis has already found his own unique sound that usually takes some bands several records to find.

He does not falter as a lyricist either, even though, ironically enough, at times he sounds uncannily like Grizzly Bear’s Ed Droste. He draws on his aforementioned past to create poetic and at times romantic narratives that are not boring or overly abstract. In the funky “At My Heels,” he croons “I can’t come up with any reason why/A ghost is following me.” At times, there is a lot of the standard talk about heartbreak and former lovers, but it matches the ‘80’s dance pace and style, and most of the time the music is so good that we don’t care what he is saying.

But for all of the serious, meticulous song writing that went into this album, there is a certain simple playfulness about it. Lewis has a mature sense of melody, and he knows how to loosen up and let a hook dominate a song. He is committed to making accessible songs that beckon all types of listeners to the dance floor. Album highlight “I Can’t Wait” is flat out fun, and its chorus sounds a bit like Don Henley’s classic “The Boys of Summer.” During the catchy chorus he sings, “I cannot wait for summer/I cannot wait for June.” Don’t we all feel this way? If there is one thing that indie music could use a little more of today is the universality of modern pop music. Twin Shadow proves that, prior to common belief, this can go hand in hand with complex, intelligent song writing.

Gang Gang Dance Release Single and Video

Gang Gang Dance have released a single AND a video from their upcoming album, Eye Contact, to be released May 9th.  The single is called “Mindkilla” and can be heard and seen below:

http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F13106642Gang Gang Dance – Mindkilla by Leemari

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2R7k1_kOqvk

Datarock Releases EP In Advance of Full Album

Datarock has suddenly released an EP, California, in anticipation of their opus, Datarock – The Musical.  All tracks on the California EP will be on the full-length album, due out later this year.  You can hear the entire EP streaming right here:  http://music.aol.com/new-releases-full-cds/spinner#/1.  Enjoy!

Cut Copy Get Remixed And Hit The Road

Over the next few weeks, Cut Copy will be unveiling several remixes of their single “Need You Now.” The first of these remixes, done by fellow Melbourne residents Architecture in Helsinki, was released at the beginning of this week.
http://soundcloud.com/wesleyambrecht/cut-copy-need-you-now
 

Tonight, The band will also be doing their first TV performance of the Zonoscope era, performing on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon. And, tomorrow, they’ll embark on a nationwide tour. Many of the dates have sold out already but we’ve provided a full list below.

 

Cut Copy Spring Tour Dates

Mar 26 – Miami, FL – Ultra Music Festival – SOLD OUT
Mar 28 – Atlanta, GA – Masquerade – BUY TICKETS*
Mar 29 – Washington, DC – 9:30 Club – SOLD OUT! *
Mar 30 – Washington, DC – 9:30 Club – SOLD OUT! *
Mar 30 – Washington, DC – U Street Music Hall (DJ SET) – BUY TICKETS
Mar 31 – Philadelphia, PA – The Trocadero – SOLD OUT *
Apr 1- New York, NY – Terminal 5 – SOLD OUT *
Apr 2 – New York, NY – Terminal 5 – SOLD OUT *
Apr 4- Boston, MA – House of Blues – BUY TICKETS*
Apr 5 – Montreal, QC – Club Soda – BUY TICKETS
Apr 6 – New York, NY – Terminal 5 – SOLD OUT
Apr 7 – Toronto, ON – Sound Academy – BUY TICKETS*
Apr 8 – Chicago, IL – Riviera Theater – SOLD OUT *
Apr 9 – Minneapolis, MN – First Avenue – BUY TICKETS*
Apr 12 – Seattle, WA – Showbox Sodo – BUY TICKETS*
Apr 15 – Indio, CA – Coachella – SOLD OUT
Apr 16 – San Francisco, CA – The Grand Ballroom @ Regency – SOLD OUT *
Apr 16 – San Francisco, CA – The Sutter Room (DJ SET) – BUY TICKETS
Apr 17 – San Francisco, CA – The Grand Ballroom @ Regency – BUY TICKETS*
Apr 20 – Dallas, TX – Granada Theater – SOLD OUT *
Apr 21 – Austin, TX – Stubbs BBQ – BUY TICKETS*
Apr 22 – Austin, TX – Stubbs BBQ – SOLD OUT *
Apr 23 – New Orleans, LA – Republic – BUY TICKETS*
June 5 – Houston, TX – Free Press Summer Fest @ Elanor Tinsiley Park – BUY TICKETS
July 7 – Mariaville, NY – Camp Bisco @ Indian Lookout Country club – BUY TICKETS
July 17 – Chicago, IL – Pitchfork Music Festival @ Union Park – BUY TICKETS
August 12 – Tempe, AZ – Marquee Theatre – BUY TICKETS