Album Review: Car Seat Headrest – Twin Fantasy (Face To Face)


Twin Fantasy



It’s probably safe to say that most artists would like to go back and revise some elements of their output.

Some would argue that albums and songs are moments in time and as such should be left untouched to be reviewed for posterity, the counter argument being that it is the artists’ prerogative to change their work as they see fit, and that it is in their very nature to never be satisfied (ask George Lucas).

William Toledo, Car Seat Headrest to you and me, is clearly an advocate of the former attitude.

Originally recorded in 2011, Car Seat Headrest’s sixth album Twin Fantasy was Toledo’s most autobiographical work, and garnered quite a cult following upon its original release. At the time he did not have a band, and so the album was recorded on only a laptop microphone, the native of Leesburg playing every instrument himself. Now he has the band and the budget, the re-recording and reworking of the album has been a passion project for some time – an example of his dedication to the cause being Toledo spending eight months on mixing just to get the drums right.

The very nature of a passion project does entail some very personal and therefore indulgent whims, and this is true of Twin Fantasy. Two of the ten tracks clock in at double figures and are truly epic, it never being quite clear which way the songs are going to go, particularly on Beach Life-In-Death which, when it is in danger of resting on its laurels, veers off into a completely different beat or change of instrumentation.

It’s surprising to learn how much effort and time went into the album as it sounds impressively lo-fi and ramshackle, as well as being full of spirit. Toledo doesn’t have the strongest singing voice (at one stage he even pleads to have Frank Ocean’s), and at points you could be forgiven for thinking that you were listening to The Strokes, so much does he sound like Julian Casablancas, this especially true on Cute Thing, where the guitar and drums collide gloriously over his East Coast drawl. Indeed, the album could only have been made in America; at some points it oozes Ryan Adams’ melancholic drama, at others the Smashing Pumpkins’ theatrical desperation, all wrapped up in college/slacker rock.

Lyrically, Twin Fantasy is structured around a concept, albeit that concept being the universal truths of the workings of a romantic relationship. It’s only ever divulged from one perspective, and as such can sometimes seem like a stream of consciousness, but this only adds to the intimate nature of the album.

For those it speaks to, Twin Fantasy will continue to be a treasure held close to the heart, while the rest of us can appreciate the dedication and respect the work that has gone into the making of this unique experiment.

(Richard Bowes)


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