This is probably my favorite album of this year. It's a 16-track box of blue skies, summer, punk rock, and the heart of a garage band. It traverses momentous highs and solemn lows without breaking stride , only beginning to falter near the end. Twin Peaks draws heavy inspiration from older artists;
The first track, "I Found A New Way", is a bright, fuzzy, noisy, catchy mess thatThis is probably my favorite album of this year. It's a 16-track box of blue skies, summer, punk rock, and the heart of a garage band. It traverses momentous highs and solemn lows without breaking stride , only beginning to falter near the end. Twin Peaks draws heavy inspiration from older artists;
The first track, "I Found A New Way", is a bright, fuzzy, noisy, catchy mess that epitomizes one of the two extremes this band carries: a wild romp of electric guitars, howling vocals, and extreme durability testing of a drumset.
"Strawberry Smoothie" follows a very similar attitude, almost incoherent, but rousing and amusing by all measures.
"Mirror of Time" is the first of a number of slower, more sincere songs on the album. It just pleasantly carries you along amid excellent lead guitar and well performed vocals.
"Sloop Jay D" is personally my favorite track on the album, spanning the gap between the garage rock full of wild abandon and the slower near-ballads that hold the album up. The chorus and guitar riffs are, even if simple, probably among the catchiest I've ever heard. The song's title is a reference to the Beach Boys' track "Sloop John D", for those of you with watchful eyes (just as the album title is a reference to "Wild Honey").
"Making Breakfast" is another slower track, carried along by the lead guitar and well performed vocals. The song is easy to get caught up in, the chorus especially capable of sweeping you away.
"Strange World" is a curious track, second only to a track later on the album named after it for peculiarity. It almost doesn't feel like a song, held together only by cohesion, but still flows nicely.
"Fade Away" is perhaps the complete opposite of the track before it. It is very loud, very fast, and very gritty. Not quite textbook punk rock, but certainly very close.
"Sweet Thing" feels like the Grateful Dead track "Casey Jones", come to think of it, minus the acceleration of the tempo at the end. It may not be the strongest track on the album, but still worth a listen.
"Stranger World" is a promise. The shortest, by far oddest track on the album places a saxophone front and center and just lets it run wild, which is a very welcome addition to the album.
"Telephone" is a lot like "Sloop Jay D" - very structured and layered and generally pretty bright. Midway through the song, the song undergoes metamorphosis from a mellow piece into a faster, fuzzier piece of the same metal.
"Flavor" is a pretty stereotypical song all things considered, but it does one thing and does it right - bright, happy garage rock.
"Ordinary People" is the least memorable track on the album. It holds to their style, but it's almost as though they tried writing a slower tune and succeeded all too well. There is some Beach-Boys-esque vocal harmony midway through, which is a nice touch, however.
"Good Lovin'" is another piece like "Sloop Jay D" or "Telephone" in that it's structured and a little quickened in pace, and like the others, is one of the strongest pieces in the album.
"Hold On" slows the pace again, but with an almost nostalgic feel to it in a key not often touched by the band. It's like listening to a sunset.
"No Way Out" sounds a lot like "Telephone", but is perhaps a little less memorable. Still holds true to the style and absolutely worth a listen. The chorus is the strongest part of the song.
"Mind Frame" is a fitting conclusion piece to the album. I can't put it any simpler: it just feels good to listen to. It ties the whole experience together.
Whether this album is your cup of tea or not, it's absolutely worth at least one listen. After all, these guys are only in their twenties; this album is a remarkable piece of work for such young artists.… Expand
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