CD Reviews

Twin Sister | In Heaven

Domino (2011)

By LIZ PELLY | September 20, 2011

4.0 Stars

Twin Sister's second EP, Color Your Life, was one of 2010's releases most praised releases by indie critics and bloggers. Stand-out single "All Around and Away We Go" seemed like a leap: from the breathy experimental pop of 2008's minimal Vampires with Dreaming Kids EP, to a new breed of bigger disco beats. The Brooklyn-via-Long Island quintet continue in that direction with their off-kilter debut full-length. And it's one of 2011's finest pop records: 10 tracks of dreamy, weirdo hi-fi pop that grooves, sparkles, and hums with clipped beats and smooth drums. It starts with "Daniel" — four minutes of shimmery lust and longing, where Andrea Estella's sultry Nico-reminiscent voice takes center stage over a minimal buzz of chirpy synths and avant-pop beats. Next, momentum builds on AM radio-ready "Stop," where Eric Cardona and Estrella share vocals, making for the best previously-unreleased track and potential second single. (The first single, "Bad Street," was an excellent introduction to In Heaven's synthy '80s pop side, though the record doesn't get that funky again.) Another gem is found in the slowed-down stoner dance-pop of "Space Babe," with its dramatic spaced-out back beat. "Kimmi in a Rice Field" is creepy and atmospheric, whereas "Luna's Theme" brings out Björk influences, starting with one drawn-out minute-long vocal phrase, eventually building into layers of vocals, drums, keys, and percussion. Long-time Twin Sister fans will be psyched to finally hear a proper recording of "Saturday, Sunday," a song about boredom and longing. Thus far, only a demo has been available, along with the 100-plus other demos the band has posted on their website over the past two years. That investment of time, energy, and thought is clear from the record's opening right through its finale — "Eastern Green" is explosive and minimal, triumphant and gleaming.

KT Tunstall | Tiger Suit
The KT Tunstall of Tiger Suit is tougher, louder, and more electronically endowed than the KT Tunstall of its poppy predecessor, 2007's Drastic Fantastic , and Eye to the Telescope three years before that.
The Sounds | Something To Die For
The recent news that British electronic act Faithless have called it a day no doubt left dejected ravers reaching for extra MDMA to stave off the tears.
Emmylou Harris | Hard Bargain
Anyone with a passing knowledge of Emmylou Harris will recognize that "The Road," the opening track on Hard Bargain, is about Gram Parsons and the relationship that kicked off her career 40 years ago.
Fountains of Wayne | Sky Full of Holes
Sky Full of Holes, the first Fountains album in four years, is another reminder of why the band deserve some limelight of their own.
Grace Jones | Hurricane
Seriously: you'll probably refuse to believe me when I say that a one-time Bond villainess is behind this near-masterpiece, a collection of way-heavy grooves packed with wit, wisdom, and ballsier-than-ballsy vocal takes.
Mates of State | Mountaintops
As the sequenced synths and handsome beats unfold, matched in merriment by the husband-and-wife vocals of Jason Hammel and Kori Gardner, your mind is miles away from the raging fires of the underworld.
St. Vincent | Strange Mercy
The pretty/ugly dichotomy at the heart of Annie Clark's St. Vincent moniker is in full tug-of-war on her third and most challenging full-length.
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah | Hysterical
Deploying the magic touch of indie producer-superhero John Congleton, these five musicians have never sounded more like a rock band, and these 12 spacious, dreamy excursions benefit from the added muscle.
Bjork | Biophilia
What the hell is Biophilia ?
The Good Natured | Skeleton
The seven-song Skeleton EP is a combination of two previous import EPs, sounding already like an immediate best-of, compiling six Good Natured studio tracks and a (throwaway) remix.
Dum Dum Girls | Only In Dreams
Kristin Gundred, a/k/a Dee Dee, is no actual dum dum, so she made good where Vivian Girls didn't.
Less

Topics: CD Reviews , Music, Long Island, Disco, More

| More

Most Popular

The Current Issue

Table of Contents

Cover Archive

Masthead | Authors | Contact us

Blogs

Where To Follow Me
Talking Politics | March 24, 2013 at 11:09 AM

Mo Takes His Turn
March 21, 2013 at 12:59 PM

[Q&A] KMFDM's Sascha Konietzko on art, Columbine and having balls
On The Download | March 18, 2013 at 3:22 PM

See this film series: The Belmont World Film Series @ Studio Cinema in Belmont
Outside The Frame | March 18, 2013 at 11:00 AM

See this film: This is Spinal Tap [with post-film talk by expert from Acoustical Society of America] @ the Coolidge
March 17, 2013 at 12:00 PM

ARTICLES BY LIZ PELLY

COLLECTIVE THINKING @ BLANC GALLERY | March 06, 2013
In 2010, a group of 20-something art and music enthusiasts transformed an unassuming basement space on Vancouver Street into YES.OUI.SI., a multi-media gallery and gathering spot for young talents that hosted dozens of visual-art shows, film screenings, literary readings, and experimental music performances.

PRIMORDIAL SOUNDS’ LABEL-READY LEARNING CURVE | February 20, 2013
Noah Bond's Allston apartment looks like an antique shop.

BEACH FOSSILS | CLASH THE TRUTH | February 20, 2013
Last year in an interview with the Phoenix , Dustin Payseur of Beach Fossils said his sophomore album would be inspired by "a lot of frustration from a lot of different sources."

ICEAGE | YOU'RE NOTHING | February 11, 2013
There's something intriguing about the ways Copenhagen punk band Iceage seem simultaneously to care so much and so little.

BEE-HAVIOR: ''FESTOONING THE INFLATABLE BEEHIVE'' AT BU'S 808 GALLERY | February 06, 2013
An art gallery may seem like an unconventional space for discussions on insect behavior, but Maria Molteni maintains beekeeping is as much an art as a science.