The Twilight Sad are still a bitter, bitter bunch. I really like their brand of sensitive teenage girl rock, don't get me wrong ( Oh, of course you know what I mean by that- this is the type of music from Joy Division, to the Cure, to Depeche Mode to My Chemical Romance- it's the kind of music for those, usually teenage girls of a certain persuasion, that has just enough swooning romanticism to satisfy the Pop/Rock directive, but enough sadness, anxiety and angst that only the sensitive types seem to fully appreciate it.) but the new thing that they bring is not the David Bowie/Brian Eno/ New Wave/ Industrial synths, but the kind of bitter, cynical simmering anger that fellow Scotsmen seem to lack.
So, for example, if you were to bring up melodic similarities to the lost, lamented Aereogramme, you wouldn't be wrong. Sure,this is more synth-based, and the beat is far more regular, but the lushness and the orchestral opulence of the melodies remains as testament that this band came from the same soil.
But Aereogramme were pure romantics, whereas this lot have no hopes- from opener "Girl in a Corner"'s repeated "She's not coming back" to closer "Sometimes I Wished I Could Fall Asleep" refrain "There's nothing left for us"- this cold bleakness isn't mourning, with a hope that something will come from the sorrow- this is anger and bitterness in the certainty that suffering has no meaning or reward.
Still those melodies- this would be somewhat pissed off Cold Wave of a Cure/ Scary Monsters-era David Bowie/ early Roxy Music variety, if not for the absolute wealth of melodic measures. They offer salve and balm to the still none-more-bleak lyrics, which despite the band's protestations that they're more hopeful than the last LP ( 2012's "No One Can Ever Know" ) - they're still more bleak than I've heard any Goth or Emo get.
So, it's like strong coffee or dark beers- I don't blame you if you cannot stand the bitterness, but I believe that fruits are worth it.
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