Twilight Sad -‘Forget the Night Ahead.’ (Fat Cat)

In 2007, when the Twilight Sad released their debut album Fourteen Autumns & Fifteen Winters, they were the talk of Scotland. Here was an epic sounding band, whose marriage of the epic sadness of Mogwai and Arab Strap were wowing us all. They became a cool name to drop – deservedly -and the night I saw them on the same bill, sandwiched between the then unsigned Broken Records and headliners Idlewild just made perfect sense. A couple of EPs cum compilations later (The Twilight Sad Killed My Parents And Hit The Road and Here It never Snowed, Afterwards It Did) they unleash their sophomore release.

…sigh. See, thing is, it is a really good album. It’s got some great songs on it – the opening brace of ‘Reflection Of the Television’ and first single ‘I Became A Prostitute’ is really impressive. It’s just…no matter how many times I’ve played this album, half a dozen plus listens later, I’m forced to admit the uncomfortable truth to myself: It is a good album, just not a great one.

Second albums are traditionally difficult things. And when your first album, almost always written before you’ve been signed, has been a kick up the backside to an industry that fifty years in, is still always in danger of getting smug and self-satisfied, that momentum needs to keep going. The problem is that bands frequently never get enough time to do their second album. It’s a good companion piece to their debut – and if I hadn’t heard their debut, I’d probably be blown away. But the reality is, music isn’t made in a vacuum, nor is it consumed in one.

So, good work guys, but the third album needs to be really, really special.

***1/2

Forget the Night Ahead is out now on Fat Cat.

The Twilight Sad website/The Twilight Sad myspace
Twilight sad -‘Reflection Of The Television.’ mp3