One Track Mind

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After a slew of EPs and their 2007 debut full-length Fourteen Autumns and Fifteen Winters, Scotland’s The Twilight Sad are gearing up to release their sophomore LP, Forget the Night Ahead, on September 22nd. Those already familiar with the band will have a solid idea of what to expect: a vaporous, almost post-rock landscape populated by empty spaces as much as by its instrumentation and the alveolar flap of James Graham’s haunting brogue. The scale of The Twilight Sad’s music skews heavily toward the epic and “Reflection of the Television,” the lead track from their forthcoming record, is no exception.

Things begin with the metallurgic grinding of anguished, distorted guitars before yielding slightly to a battlefield rhythm of drumming. Craig Orzel’s bass then insinuates the melodic framework for the vocals, which rise to the fore of the mix as the guitars take a more mellifluous turn. It is this back and forth between Graham’s relatively plainspoken delivery and the swelling and subsiding instrumental background that creates the tension on “Reflection of the Television,” and to great effect. Its emotional heft is almost physically palpable in its straining guitar yowls, an injured kind of beauty.

The Twilight Sad don’t make music for all listeners; there are no overtures toward any sort of pop sensibilities in their sound, nor would we want there to be. “Reflection of the Television” is undoubtedly the type of track one needs to be prepared for, but if you’re in the proper mood, the band’s immense talent is quite evident. As with the best compositions, this song is a journey begging to be taken.