The "anthemic" descriptor really does fit here; like Mogwai or Spiritualized, the Twilight Sad cover an extreme range of sonics, from molten blasts of feedback to quiet, almost ambient bliss. But there's also a pop sensibility that seems Doves-esque at times, with deep-voiced singer James Graham's melancholic melodies cutting through the thick, acidic washes of guitar and piano chords.

You might have caught the Twilight Sad late last year, when they held their residency at Pianos. By all accounts, the Scottish quartet puts on a great show, which, after listening to their debut album I'm kind of kicking myself for missing. I'm not sure how they would have pulled a lot of these tracks off live, as there's a hell of a lot ear candy in the production -- courtesy of producer/mixer Peter Katis, who's also turned the knobs for Interpol, Mice Parade and Mecury Rev -- but on record, the Twilight Sad seem to have mastered, and then taken the whole epic noise rock thing in new directions. The overused "anthemic" descriptor really does fit here; like Mogwai or Spiritualized, the group covers an extreme range of sonics, from molten blasts of feedback to quiet, almost ambient bliss. But there's also a pop sensibility that seems Doves-esque at times, with deep-voiced singer James Graham's heavy-accented, melancholic melodies cutting through the thick, acidic washes of guitar and piano chords. There's enough tremolo and reverb in the mix to haul out another oft-used descriptor, "shoegaze," and there are indeed plenty of psychedelic vignettes of church bells, warbling amplifier hums and various other spacey oddities. But make no mistake; the Twilight Sad won't leave you staring down at your boots for very long. [GH] (April 5, 2005)