If you were at Live4ever’s Two Fingered Salute during Austin’s SXSW Music Festival this past March, you know just how powerful the live show put on by Twin Atlantic can be. Touring in support of their 2009 debut album ‘Vivarium’ (RedBull Records), the Glaswegian alt-rock quartet has been thrilling audiences not just in Austin, Texas, but throughout the UK and the US, with its energetic and raucous performances.
Having shaken off the dust of the road and having cashed in heaps of frequent flyer miles, Twin Atlantic returned to the studio and are now emerging with their second full length release, ‘Free‘, which drops on RedBull Records on May 3rd in the States. Hey… that’s today! Go out and get it!
‘Free’ begins with the sounds of squealing feedback before careering into the jagged opening riff of ‘Edit Me‘, a full on rocker which features the band in fine form and also serves as the lead single from the record. For those who are familiar with Twin Atlantic, listening to the opening trio of songs, ‘Edit Me’, ‘Time to Stand Up‘ and ‘Apocalyptic Renegade‘ will be certain to recall fond memories of the band’s earlier work.
All the elements which define the band’s sound are on prominent display; from the soulful and distinctive vocals of lead singer Sam McTrusty (WARNING: Sean Connery ain’t got nothin’ on this guy’s Scottish brogue) and the psychedelic guitar of Barry McKenna, to the hammering rhythm section of bassist Ross McNae and drummer Craig Neale, it’s all there.
The album really takes flight, however, with the anthemic ‘Yes I Was Drunk‘, which features one of McTrusty’s best vocal performances on the album. The slow burner finds McTrusty delivering a plaintive paean to the pains and pleasures of, well, of being drunk. On the following song, ‘Dreamember‘, the rhythm section of Kneale and McRae lays down a thunderous groove that would serve to make the guys in Muse envious.
The title track ‘Free‘ follows up and is about as hooky a song as anything that Jimmy Eat World ever came up with. The band takes a bit of a breather on the acoustic ballad ‘Crash Land‘ and McKenna, a gifted multi-instrumentalist, takes the opportunity to add some tasteful cello lines to the song. Both from a musical and thematic standpoint, these four tracks form the heart of the record. Angst abounds lyrically, but rarely does it reach the level of schmaltzy melodrama so often encountered in lesser emo bands (I’m looking at you, Aaron Lewis of Staind).
The second half of the record picks the pace back up with the poppy ‘Make a Beast of Myself‘, featuring McCartney-esque bass runs from McNae, and the Foo Fighters like stomp of ‘The Ghost of Eddie‘. The instrumental ‘Serious Underground Dance Vibes‘ is a change of pace with ethereal guitar parts awash in delay, and serves as a nice departure from the band’s usually more muscular fare. The album closes with a trio of songs that see the band returning to form, with the hard rocking ‘Eight Days‘, the power ballad ‘Wonder Sleeps Here‘ and the closer ‘We Want Better Men‘.
All in all, ‘Free’ is a worthy follow-up to the band’s debut. Fans will certainly find much to like in the record, while there are enough hooks to grab the attention of new listeners. Twin Atlantic are still a young band and this record suggests that we’ll be hearing a lot of great music from them for years to come.
(Nick Fokas)
