Remember when Sleigh Bells’ Treats hit back in 2010? I loved it – it was fresh and packed with unexpected musical references (metal riffs, hip-hop beats, and European techno) making the sound feel completely original. Amidst all of the euphoria that first Sleigh Bells album inspired, I wondered how much further the project could progress over the course of subsequent albums. Alas, the lackluster following two albums from Sleigh Bells demonstrated that when a musical project arrives fully-fashioned there is very little the artist can do to sound fresh and progress. Music critics and audiences also don’t seem to take kindly to second or third albums that do little to raise the ante on the original vibe regardless of their quality (take the relatively recent sophomore albums from Temper Trap and Naked and Famous for instance, which were both really good, but drastically dipped in sales, radio play, and general public attention).
With Twin Shadow’s third album, Eclipse, George Lewis, Jr. resoundingly accomplishes what the aforementioned bands did on their first try – deliver a fully formed version of an artist’s aesthetic vision. Twins Shadow’s debut, Forget, delivered some intriguing tunes, such as “I Can’t Wait” and “Shooting Holes” and some rather complex synth arrangements and at times disturbing, overtly macho lyrics. However, Forget’s rather slim production, quite similar in sound and style to the debuts from Chairlift and Nite Jewel, diverted considerably from Lewis Jr.’s seemingly entrenched-in-the-80s influences, underscored with a Morrisey-esque vocal delivery and synth arrangements reminiscent of Black Celebration-era Depeche Mode.
Confess, Twin Shadow’s sophomore release, certainly improved upon Forget with a grossly larger production effort. I personally loved the album, particularly due to its sly references to heavy hitters such as Prince and Springsteen without tumbling completely into the realm of 80s period pop. Yet, with all of Forget’s upsides, there is a sense of Lewis, Jr. holding back, just a smidge. Opportunities to let choruses transcend into power hooks in songs like “Patient” and “Be Mine Tonight” give way to restraint and subtlety. As brilliant as Confess is I often find myself holding my breath over subsequent listens for never occurring sonic breakouts.
For Twin Shadow’s third album, Eclipse nearly all eleven songs on remedy the shortcomings on Confess. As present in his first two albums, the technical sophistication of the album is top-notch with every note, beat, and riff precisely placed. Yet, the single-ready tunes littered throughout Eclipse like “To the Top,” “I’m Ready,” and “When the Lights Turn Out” with arrangements packed with tension and release and some catchy lyrical hooks (“…but I stick around for, jealousy, ecstasy slowly taking over me.”) traverse down the pathways through which great pop songs should sojourn.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQyW2uWcruA
I caught the first performance of Twin Shadow’s eclipse tour last week at the Belly Up in Solana Beach, California, in which Lewis, Jr. was obviously prepping for the national stage for South By Southwest. The disappointingly short 11-song set was composed mostly of the tunes from the new album (seven of the eleven songs were from Eclipse). Barring the somewhat abbreviated version of “To the Top,” the new tunes sounded perfect live and overshadowed the performances of past-album crowd favorites like “Five Seconds” and “Run My Heart.” The standout moment of the show occurred during the performance of what I consider to be the crown jewel of Eclipse – the album’s title track.
Located square in the middle of the album’s playlist, “Eclipse” offers a more delicate vibe than the disc’s other tracks, yet simultaneously represents its heart and soul. The tune’s text and pace anchor the album in both its thematic and technical elements. The lyrics that engage Lewis, Jr.’s subject matter like “embrace, then drift, relax then shift, you eclipse me, release, resist, hold back, then kiss, to eclipse me,” place into relief the cycle of tension and release, tension and release, forming the primary stylistic foundation and most satisfactory features of the album.
Even more striking on Eclipse, however, compared to Twin Shadow’s past efforts is the sense that the band is, …well a band, rather than just a solo effort. Lewis, Jr. has suggested that bandmate and keyboardist Wynn Bennett has evolved into a major studio contributor to Twin Shadow, and the album’s rich sound testifies to a more collaborative effort. Songs like “Old Love – New Love,” “When the Lights Turn Out,” and especially “To the Top,” evoke an overproduced (a good thing in this instance), epic vocal ensemble quality recalling pop artists like Bonnie Tyler and Fire Inc. (from the Streets of Fire movie soundtrack). If one compares Lewis, Jr.’s musical power pop-based progenitors (he has commented on hating references of his work with 80s acts, but hey it’s there – especially implied when covering a Smith’s song last summer to promo Eclipse), to his new album, Eclipse stands, at least artistically, as a peer.
All of my nerdy praise and gushing for Eclipse notwithstanding, I fear that Twin Shadow has hit the zenith of its artistic expression. With the band’s move from indie label 4AD to the big leagues with Warner Brothers and the increased public attention the act will receive from an enhanced marketing effort the major label can afford, I fear subsequent recording efforts will be mired within the expectation to replicate prior perfection and suffer the shame of wide scale public and critical disappointment. At least for now I’ll continue to enjoy Twin Shadow’s new tunes, and pray I won’t have to listen to another Sleigh Bells album.
Rating: 5/5