4AD's retro electro-soul boy hits pop euphoria with sophomore triumph
7.5/10
What to make of George W. Lewis, eh? A scour through his dozens of You Tube videos, sessions, out-takes and exclusives throws up a one-minute short film of him snogging some girl, tongues-deep and slobbery, all in the name of art. Or voyeurism, perhaps. A cursory glance through his record-label's biog reveals that the video to the 2012 single "Five Minutes" (included here) was aired across Times Square by means of huge LCD screens and networking buzz. This all feels very Eighties, a time when major commercial things began to happen in New York City's infamous district of sleaze and squalor, resulting in businesses and retailers investing huge sums of cash in the area's previously run-down real-estate and turning it into a theme park of yellow cabs and projectile neon. Yet here's Twin Shadow, muscling in on potential mainstream exposure by screening a video that features a good old bit of male-bonding, grappling and biker-gang references. Way to go.
After previously causing a minor tremor among UK hipsters with his first and initially-ignored debut-album "Forget", Lewis has clearly gone for the jugular with "Confess". For a start, he shouldn't be here. A motorcycle accident put the Puerto-Rican out of action for a while, during which time he created most of this ten track album in his head, before enlisting renowned Coldplay, Vaccines and John Mayer producer Michael H. Brauer as his guiding light around the mixing-disk. There is certainly an element of triumph, redemption and rejoicing about this album, even if the worst of the '80s sometimes combines with the best of the much-maligned decade. It's also the least-likely 4AD album (apart from SpaceGhostPuurp) since they signed the Pixies - and look what happened to them.
Musically-speaking, listening to "Confess" is like tuning into the big-permed radio-stations on ultra-violent console-game lampoon, Grand Theft Auto. I can hear Don Henley ("Run My Heart"), Go West ("Five Seconds"), The Cure ("The One"), Paul Haig ("Patient"), Tears For Fears ("When The Movies Over"), Prince ("Be Mine Tonight") and so many references to the '80s that I felt like I was in a Brat-Pack movie myself or, at the very least, slamming my Chevy into reverse over six skateboarding dweebs after . But, calm down everyone - this is what has turned that shy young songwriter we heard on that excellent debut-album into a force to be reckoned with. OK, it doesn't all work on "Confess" - "You Call Me On" hovers between the uncrossed lines of dubstep and Van Halen, while Foreigner and Reo Speedwagon encroach upon "I Don't Care" with alarming similarity.
None of this matters when you revisit the other songs though - Twin Shadow's attention to detail is bewilderingly accurate and beautifully layered with contemporary arrangements and a decent voice. "Confess" sounds like a love-torn heartbreak of a journey, in fact almost the ultimate break-up soundtrack and definitely big enough to straddle that motorcycle once again and head off into the sunset, credits rolling with the sun setting and the guy kissing the girl in victory.
For further info about Twin Shadow's live shows, head to Allgigs here
7.5/10
What to make of George W. Lewis, eh? A scour through his dozens of You Tube videos, sessions, out-takes and exclusives throws up a one-minute short film of him snogging some girl, tongues-deep and slobbery, all in the name of art. Or voyeurism, perhaps. A cursory glance through his record-label's biog reveals that the video to the 2012 single "Five Minutes" (included here) was aired across Times Square by means of huge LCD screens and networking buzz. This all feels very Eighties, a time when major commercial things began to happen in New York City's infamous district of sleaze and squalor, resulting in businesses and retailers investing huge sums of cash in the area's previously run-down real-estate and turning it into a theme park of yellow cabs and projectile neon. Yet here's Twin Shadow, muscling in on potential mainstream exposure by screening a video that features a good old bit of male-bonding, grappling and biker-gang references. Way to go.
After previously causing a minor tremor among UK hipsters with his first and initially-ignored debut-album "Forget", Lewis has clearly gone for the jugular with "Confess". For a start, he shouldn't be here. A motorcycle accident put the Puerto-Rican out of action for a while, during which time he created most of this ten track album in his head, before enlisting renowned Coldplay, Vaccines and John Mayer producer Michael H. Brauer as his guiding light around the mixing-disk. There is certainly an element of triumph, redemption and rejoicing about this album, even if the worst of the '80s sometimes combines with the best of the much-maligned decade. It's also the least-likely 4AD album (apart from SpaceGhostPuurp) since they signed the Pixies - and look what happened to them.
Musically-speaking, listening to "Confess" is like tuning into the big-permed radio-stations on ultra-violent console-game lampoon, Grand Theft Auto. I can hear Don Henley ("Run My Heart"), Go West ("Five Seconds"), The Cure ("The One"), Paul Haig ("Patient"), Tears For Fears ("When The Movies Over"), Prince ("Be Mine Tonight") and so many references to the '80s that I felt like I was in a Brat-Pack movie myself or, at the very least, slamming my Chevy into reverse over six skateboarding dweebs after . But, calm down everyone - this is what has turned that shy young songwriter we heard on that excellent debut-album into a force to be reckoned with. OK, it doesn't all work on "Confess" - "You Call Me On" hovers between the uncrossed lines of dubstep and Van Halen, while Foreigner and Reo Speedwagon encroach upon "I Don't Care" with alarming similarity.
None of this matters when you revisit the other songs though - Twin Shadow's attention to detail is bewilderingly accurate and beautifully layered with contemporary arrangements and a decent voice. "Confess" sounds like a love-torn heartbreak of a journey, in fact almost the ultimate break-up soundtrack and definitely big enough to straddle that motorcycle once again and head off into the sunset, credits rolling with the sun setting and the guy kissing the girl in victory.
