Album Review: Twin Shadow - Forget

It is not news that romanticism in the media arts has been steamrolled by profiteering and cynicism in so many arenas in and around the new millennium. Movies have been out-dramatized by television as television tries to undermine itself through exploiting the dimwitted and disenfranchised.  Of course, popular music is a wasteland of auto-tune, rehashed metal chords and insipid homogenization. Although the skywide openness of indie music is still subject to the commercial or big label sellout and too-cool-for-school ironic co-opting of a sound, beat, riff or vocal inflection to gain a foothold in the blogosphere. There are not many venues left that simply contain a bit of unsullied honesty.

Whether or not an artist possesses that facet of tempered romance and true emotion is basically subject to opinion. However, if you are looking for earnestness in music, you may not need to look any farther than George Lewis Jr., aka Twin Shadow. His futuristic croon has the lounge lizard feel of Brian Ferry and 80's era Bowie yet contains the vulnerability of a Johnny Hartman for modern times; a boozy, beaten down sadness that either soars or winces based on his emotive inflections. The music also works in that new wave milieu employing stainless steel guitars, digital beats and waves of synths that crash the shores as his lyrics ache with each new tide. When most bands lately opt for the arms-length nature of chillwave, Lewis lays his confessions out for all to observe. His first full album Forget out on Terrible Records has a timeless quality even though it was released a few weeks ago. (The album had it's worldwide release November 15 on 4AD.)

The childlike, little world that is constructed on Forget is full of fear, reflection and discovery. Opening with "Tyrant Destroyed", Lewis speaks of his regression based on being the heartbreaker rather than the heartbroken as depicted in most pop songs. His next tracks wrestle with that checkered past in different reflections on wanting closeness from an unavailable someone. On "While We're Dancing", he politely asks to be left alone with his special somebody, yet becomes impatient on the next track "I Can't Wait" as his advances are summarily rejected. By the time "Shooting Holes" begins, his desires turn unrestrained as he bites the hand that he desperately needs. The thematic chain in the lyrics coupled with the glamorous stylings influenced by Roxy Music at their peak makes for a seductively introduction to the Forget's diary motif.

The smooth sounds of Twin Shadow take a darker turn in the second half of Forget. The beats become more futuristic like a sweetened, doe-eyed TV On The Radio. Still the influence of Terrible Records producer/Grizzly Bear founder Chris Taylor is found as well. Rather than being boxed in, each track plays upon it's organic strength, finding that little captured moment and accentuating it until it blossoms. "Slow" is a example of this, working the elastic bass and jittery guitar until it explodes in the song's climax. "At My Heels" employs a chugging riff, but digs deeper with the swirling synth that bubbles with joy when Lewis strives for tenderness in the chorus. When the final track "Forget" commences, it becomes evident that the whole album was Lewis' emotional bloodletting and moving on is his ultimate goal. That necessary ability to cut ties without looking back bodes well for Twin Shadow's future efforts. For now, we can truly revel in what could be the start of an long career and recognize that Forget is simply proof that even in these hardened times, romance isn't dead yet. Listen to the entire LP Forget using the widget below. Right click the links below for some freebies.

Download "I Can't Wait" for free here. Download "Slow" for free here. Download "Forget" for free here.

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Purchase Twin Shadow - Forget here.

Bonus: Listen and download for free the Twin Shadow b-side "Savannah Howl".