Twin Shadow
Forget

Twin Shadow is George Lewis Jr., a 26-year-old of Dominican descent living in Brooklyn. The "vintage" experiment is a success. Among the various attempts proposed by various new indie artists, this album is a wonderful discovery, one of the best of 2010. Twin Shadow dusts off the '80s new wave, refreshes it, rejuvenates it, and offers us 11 enchanting, dreamy, sensual pieces infused with personality and originality.

Also benefiting from the production contribution of Chris Taylor (Grizzly Bear), the album develops by offering sounds that transition from dark, dreamy, nostalgic to more up-tempo and rhythmic moments. The tone of the voice is that of the best Morrissey, blending with aesthetic perfection into the clear and very carefully structured instrumentation of the tracks.

Each track seems so simple and sophisticated at the same time. The lyrics deal with forbidden love, relationships, and complications, with narrative, romantic, and controversial texts. The synth-pop of the first track "Tyrant Destroyed" is a whispered explanation of what is to come. The music is low, almost asleep, as if the entire album is in a phase of awakening. "When We're Dancing" raises the tempo in a very elegant electro-pop. I nod to the bass lines of "Shooting Holes" and yield to the tribal synth of "Tether Beat". The concluding "Forget" is a delicate slow piece that embraces the listener before leaving the day and closing the eyes.

Gems of the album are certainly "I Can't Wait", a superb combination of captivating beats, synths, and a complex bass line, and towards the end "Castle In The Snow", in my opinion one of the best tracks of 2010. Within the reflections of memories, I rediscover the Talking Heads, the Police, the Cure, the Ultravox. But this is a beautiful, entirely original musical page of 2010.

PS. His live performance at the Hoxton Square Bar here in London was a surprising confirmation of the skill and quality of the compositions, which lend themselves perfectly to a more rock and hard version live.