Search - Twilight Sad :: Fourteen Autumns & Fifteen Winters

When you see that you're all mine... with a knife in your ch

Kevin Satterwhite | Houston, TX United States | 04/13/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Here they are, after hearing my cries for a great, new band, The Twilight Sad release one of the best albums of the past few years. From the start, the listener is draped within TTS's atmospheric sound and with it they promote a wondrous landscape. It's the perfect blend of Scottish folk, distortion and ambiance. All the post-modern, sonic guitars; slow, melodic drum beats; and piercing, droning sounds are blended perfectly with the soft vocals and acoustics. Imagine if you will the sonic, ambient sounds of a modern day, experimental band such as Explosions In The Sky but more traditionally structured with Scottish influences, such as how Big Country took the music of their era and conjured their sound. That is the picture you should envision when considering the sound of The Twilight Sad.



"Cold Days From The Birdhouse" serves as the ideal introduction for "Fourteen Autumns and Fifteen Winters". Beginning with acoustic guitars, a repetitious piano note and soft vocals, it ends after a climax of loud distorted sounds and perfectly demonstrates to the listen exactly what to expect throughout the rest of the album. "That Summer, At Home I Had Became the Invisible Boy" is one of the best songs of this year. It's the true gem of this wonderful album. In the song, singer, James Grahams' narratives explain a tragic tale that the narrator caused. "These walls are filled with blame" Graham expresses on "Mapped By What Surrounded Them".



The overall mood of the album as you should tell is melancholy. How could it not be when you name your band `The Twilight Sad' and have song titles such as "And She Would Darken The Memory" and "Last Years Rain Didn't Fall Quite So Hard" on your debut album "Fourteen Autumns and Fifteen Winters"? There are nine tracks on this album; the majority of which are over five minutes in length, none of them lackluster. There isn't a skippable track on here and none of them feature minutes of filler sounds or noises like most experimental bands will induce on the listener.



Without needing to get into too much more detail, this is my personal choice for album of the year at this point in early April. If for some reason another band comes along and knocks this from my top spot, I will more then welcome it. I would love to meet the artist(s) that can relinquish my obsession with this album."

A Respectable Debut!

Cale E. Reneau | Conroe, Texas United States | 04/24/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"If the boys from Dashboard Confessional or Interpol were raised in Glasgow, Scotland, had their mothers forgone the typical milk for pints of beer, if they were eating 72oz. steaks at the age of 3, if their body hair was rugged and manly, they might sound a lot like The Twilight Sad. At their most basic, The Twilight Sad doesn't sound too different from their run-of-the-mill whiny American counterparts. But they are so much more. They are louder, more powerful, more poetic, and worlds more talented.



Their most notable difference is the thick Scottish accent of frontman James Graham. When you first hear him "purr" out his Rs on "Cold Days From the Birdhouse," you know you're in for quite a different experience. The first time I heard him sing, "You make it your own, but this is where your arm can't go," I got goosebumps. I've been listening to the album for about a week, and the effect is still the same. It is definitely a standout on the album.



It is followed by the brilliant "That Summer, at Home I Had Become the Invisible Boy" in which Graham croons, "Kids are on fire in the bedroom" before erupting with one of the most authentic shouts I've ever heard on an album ("They're sitting around the table, and they're talking behind your back!"). It is beautifully composed and even features an accordion for good measure. The song is tense and feels like at any second it could explode into an all-out rock fest, but it never does. It's disappointing in a way, but at the same time you can't help but be impressed by it.



The biggest problem that I can point out on the album is the lack of variety in the songs. Each song is great, don't get me wrong, but they almost always start off calm before building into several layers of guitars, vocals, and drums in what is usually a distorted bridge or interlude. It is a small complaint, to be sure, but one that is definitely worth noting. Each song is great in its own right, but if you're not really paying attention, they might start to sound tired.



Overall, "Fourteen Autumns and Fifteen Winters" is a pretty awesome album! Of all the albums to release in 2007 so far, this one has rocked harder than any other I've come across. The Twilight Sad is a band with a lot of character and even more talent. In today's crowded field of indie rockers, they should have no problem differentiating themselves from the rest of the pack. If they're lucky, and if the world is just, they might just rise above the rest.



Recommended to fans of Interpol, The Walkmen, and anyone who really likes a good Scottish accent!



Key Tracks:

1. "Cold Days from the Birdhouse"

2. "That Summer, at Home I Had Become the Invisible Boy"

3. "Talking with Fireworks/Here, It Never Snowed"

4. "Mapped by What Surrounded Them"



7 out of 10 Stars"

Fourteen Autumns and Fifteen Winters

Andrew Vice | Plano, TX | 05/31/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Yes, singer James Graham has a thick accent. Get over it. Fourteen Autumns and Fifteen Winters is a lush, beautiful soundscape of pulsing, droning guitar haze layered with bright, rhythmic drumming, and poetic, heartfelt lyrics. Graham sings every word with import, convincing the listener that his words are truly his own, and not just the rambling bull of a man strapped for lyrics to put to his songs.



The songs are heavy. They are very, very heavy, but that in no way compromises their beauty. Despite the wall of sound that assaults the listener, the instruments are still apparent, the melody still perceivable, and the overall theme of the music is not lost. Fourteen Autumns and Fifteen Winters is an album to listen to as you cruise the highway in the dead of night. Listen to this album when you have time to ponder, and time to appreciate the effort that these lads and lasses from Glasgow have put out in order to make a gorgeous record for all of us to wallow in.



Though the songs are primarily dark in lyric and in music, the album is compelling, and somehow, uplifting. Give the Twilight Sad a chance, and I doubt you'll be disappointed. Don't be turned off by Graham's accent like I was at first. Give him time, and I assure you his voice will grow on you, and you'll realize that these songs couldn't be sung by any other voice."