Album: Stereo Night / Band: The Twilight Hours /  Rock

 

Reviewed by Gabriel Alonso

 

When I began researching The Twilight Hours, I naturally went straight to their website. Upon reading their bio to acquaint myself with these gentlemen, I found myself staring at a very tongue-in-cheek (I hope) explanation of just who Twilight Hours is - in the magical, mythical, and philosophical worlds. I learned that this Minneapolis based band is made up of John Munson and Matt Wilson. Their first album Stereo Night is (according to the duo) "a work of towering beauty and sensitivity...a work for the ages!" Let's see shall we?
 

One of the best parts of Stereo Night, is its efficient use of time and story. At just under 40 minutes, the album moves quickly and never truly lags. The Twilight Hours have not created epic bits of material or largesse, instead they have arranged clear and concise declarations of feelings, specifically those of love and love lost. Unfortunately, these musings on love one after the other, become repetitive and indistinct. It appears that The Twilight Hours have a pattern for their songs, one that they rarely stray from. It was not until the use of a horn section on "Queen of Tomorrow," that the listener feels that he / she is getting any sort of diverse instrumentation. The sprinkle of funk added much needed variety to a heavily acoustic/guitar driven album. That being said, the arrangements are enjoyable. We would be remiss if we did not mention hearing influences of Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys on songs such as, “Winter Blue,” and “Goodbye Good Life,” as The Twilight Hours utilize large, atmospheric, choral harmonies. The song “Alone,” is reminiscent of Rivers Cuomo, with his slightly nasal, heady croon. The lap guitar accentuates the dream-like sway of the song's rhythm.  The album is mixed well and it clearly showcases the vocals. The music feels raw and untouched by production, something that is rare in an era where everyone seems to be relying on auto-tune and the magic of production and that makes The Twilight Hours a breath of fresh air.

 

After reading my song by song notes, it occurred to me that there was a story being told. The album chronicles the beginning and the end of a relationship between a man and a woman, and his eventual realization. "Dreams," has a man trying to get out of the "dark," followed by "Yes," and "Love," similar songs that describe what the man can do and the lengths to which he will go, to do those things for the woman. "My Return," second-guesses these affirmations and is evident in lines such as, "hard to love 'cause I've been burned." Skip to "Winter Blue," and the man talks of how the relationship is crumbling ("summer dreams, fall schemes, the things I thought we'd do - winter blues"). The album continues with the upheaval of the man's life, as his lover abandons him, in "Queen of Tomorrow," and "Goodbye Good Life." Although, all hope seems to be lost, the man once again finds his lover with "Stay With You," which hopes of rekindling love, only to come to a sobering conclusion in "Never Mine to Lose." The album certainly makes more sense when consumed in such a way.

 

Stereo Night, is one of those albums that allow the listener to appreciate what the band or the artist is attempting to create. Have they created something ground-breaking and important? No, but they have created a bundle of music that elicits questions of love and commitment from the listener. In the end, that's all we can ask of our artists and musicians - Make me think. At the very least, The Twilight Hours have achieved just that with Stereo Night.

 

 

Reviewed December 2009

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Gabe Alonso is an aspiring music business entrepreneur and currently works for MTV in the area of music events. He loves to write about all things music, especially on his blog (gabealonso.blogspot.com). You can follow him on twitter (twitter.com/gabealonso) or find him on facebook as well. If you're in the NYC area, Gabe organizes monthly meet-ups for those in the music industry. Come out for a drink and some good conversation!