Forget The Night Ahead

The Twilight Sad
Forget The Night Ahead
9 out of 10

"So tell me do you lose when you answer no
Catch the cold
You sailed on your own
We shared in the toll
And we're all alone"

The first lines from "Made to Disappear," another beautiful impressionistic song from the squalling Scottish band The Twilight Sad.



Clearer and more direct than their last release Fourteen Autumns and Fifteen Winters, Forget the Night Ahead forges a more singularly brutal attack. The lead four songs almost too intense to listen to all at once. James Graham, in his molasses thick Scottish brogue, still sings like a wounded child, scarred deep by memories of family slights, school yard recriminations, and doomed relationships.



The bold, muscular drum and guitar attack of "Reflection of the Television." The sad tale of an abused child who is stronger than he appears.



The dense squall of "I Became a Prostitute" with the haunting lyrics:

"you are the bearer of a womb without love
you could have had it all
is that what you said
is that what you said on a low ride
you said in your hands you'll stay, all with me today"



The intensity builds almost too much with the song "Seven Years of Letters," about an affair the man realizes he has wasted seven years on to end up with nothing.

"it's a sorry affair
we're on a hiding to nowhere
it's only right to swear
and they say that I won't answer you back
it's the dance that we'll never share
and the alarms that you can't do without"

The non-stop attack is finally leavened with the brief instrumental "Scissors," which leads to the second half of the album which takes a more measured approach, scaling back the onslaught of guitars, and adding more intimate instrumentation. The highlights being the beautiful triad of "The Room," "That Birthday Present," and "Floorboards Under The Bed."



"The Room" is another classic Twilight Sad song about some horrific childhood incident. You feel the hair on your neck standup when Graham wails the lyrics "you're the grandson's toy in the corner." You have no specific idea what he singing about, but the impressionistic lyrics and naked emotion make you feel the tone and measure of the song.

The squall returns for the amazing "Interrupted":



Forget the Night Ahead lacks the immediacy of Fourteen Autumns and Fifteen Winters, but that does not take away from its beauty. By narrowing their focus, there are less meandering asides that made the first album such a touchstone, but this focus makes things more exciting. 2009 is shaping up to be a phenomenal year for music, and albums like Forget the Night Ahead make it all the more special.