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Twilight Babies |
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“Rubberband” kicks off the disc; it’s the standout track and sounds like a cousin of Susanne Vega’s “Blood Makes Noise.” Not quite the female-ronted, beat-driven dream-dance of Love Spirals Downward or the trip-hopped out electro-bossa nova of Bebel Gilberto’s take on “Samba De Bencao,” it’s easiest to imagine in terms of the folky crooning of Ani Difranco set over a thump of Massive Attack-styled bass heavy electronics. Unfortunately the whole disc doesn’t keep up with the promise of a new musical fusion a la Vega’s 99.9 Degrees F “Orange and Alabaster,” despite occasionally foraying into a minimalistic breakdown, proceeds through most of the song with a beat that threatens to explode any second into a top-40 club hit. Maybe that’s what they’re going for? But something in the seriousness of the vocal timbre tells me they’re not looking to write the next “Better Off Alone.” Throughout the rest of the disc, the electronic influence doesn’t stand out as much as the inappropriately crunchy guitars (“Get It Right,” “Last One Up,”) and adult contemporary style soundscapes (“Grace.”) But “Little Light” picks back up with an aggressive dance beat that matches Alison Lewis’ vocals, and “Witches” finishes out the disc with a mix of soulful sentiment and spacey bass. Say what you will about the places where this disc falls flat, the dead-on vocal acuity alone is probably enough to make this a hit with alterna-folkies. Not so much for connoisseurs of all things electronic though, as the beats are a stylistic second to the girl-folk aesthetic. —Matthew
Stern
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