Review by Stan Cierlitsky
What a great Fall! Another of my favorite bands returns with a new album. The Twang are back on November 8 with If Confronted Just Go Mad, their new record. The Twang surfaced in the mid-2000's, well after the end of the Britpop era. But to me they are still a quintessential Britpop band that I can't get enough of.
The album's lead track and first single is called "Everytime". This has been one of my favorite songs of the year (it dropped back in May). Even my 10-year-old daughter Eliza loves this song (she listens to it in between Arianna Grande tracks, though). It's funny, self-deprecating, and the guy/girl interplay really hits the mark. A lot of folks are really excited about the introduction of two new female singers to the band, Cat Mctigue and Rio Hellyer. I'm not much of a "video guy" anymore, but the video for this song feels like a throwback to the old days. This clearly looks like a band that are really enjoying what they do.
As a longtime fan of The Twang I have to get something off my chest. What was up with all of the negative reviews for their 2014 album NEONTWANG? (I believe it was the worst reviewed album of the year on Metacritic garnering a jaw-dropping 32/100). Both of my "Twang friends" and I liked it. Why all the reviewer-hate for that record? "New Love", "Bigger Than You", and "Step Away" are some of The Twang's finest. Maybe singer Phil Etheridge accidentally found himself in bed with the wrong "milf" (see the lyrics for their early hit "Wide Awake"). Well, according to Phil himself on the new album's second track, Lovin' State", "I used to stress about what people think, but I don't give a fuck no more." Great tune! "Lovin' State" could easily be a future single with their trademark infectious guitar riffs. The track kind of reminds me of Big Country without sounding too bagpipe-y!
The second single from the album, "Dream" starts with a beat/groove that most Stone Roses fans will love. Even the guitar-work feels like it would be at home on Second Coming. That's not to say this is a Roses ripoff, because it's not. But it is another great Twang track.
The third single from the new album is actually a cover of The Blue Nile's "Tinseltown in the Rain", and all I can say is, Wow! The Twang aren't new to covering awesome old tunes. Just check out their cover of The Durutti Column's classic "Tomorrow" on 2012's album 10:20. It was one of my favorite tracks that year. This new one is just as good. Like with "Tomorrow" it brings a bigness to a quiet/subdued/moody old track. These aren't replica covers. The Twang are making these tunes their own while still paying homage to some of the old greats. Please keep doing this. I can't wait to hear what's next.
There are some nice highlights from the remaining new songs. "Million Miles" has an old Postcards Records feel. "Izal" has some dark electronic dub-y elements to it. And "Kingdom" is very sparse and deliberate.
The last song "Nothing Gets Better (feat. Polarbear)" is another one of my favorites. It's kind of a slower track that is just filled with angst. I love that combination. Longtime fans will probably think about The Streets Remix of "Either Way" when Polarbear starts talking/rapping. It's very reminiscent of Professor Green's part from that 2007 remix. "Nothing gets better, if anything it gets worse," go the lyrics. I'm not sure about that in regards to The Twang because I think their future is looking better.
If Confronted Just Go Mad is out on Friday. More details here.
More details on The Twang via the band's official Facebook page.
[Photo: The Twang Facebook page]