Metro Spirit review of Twin Tigers

Issue #20.34 :: 03/18/2009 - 03/24/2009
Twin Tigers
Metro spirit here

"Sexless Love/Envy" EP

BY JOSH RUFFIN

Twin Tigers
"Sexless Love/Envy" EP
Old Flame Records
Available Now (in digital form, and as a 7” vinyl)
myspace.com/thetwintigers


AUGUSTA, GA - So, it’s become apparent to me at this point that every American band presently in existence comes out of either Athens or Portland; they seem to be the only places I ever hear about anymore from 1) PR agents and 2) my friends. And Portland, I get; the combination of the coastal region’s sunshine/dreariness duality with the mystical expanse of its mountains and forests would inevitably foster an insanely fertile musical spectrum, the likes of which include the Decemberists, Mirah, and Blitzen Trapper; hell, half the albums I review are cut by Portland bands. Athens, on the other hand…well, have you ever BEEN to Athens? Despite its primary source of notoriety being a football team whose fans can’t even spell its name correctly (GO DAWGS!), it has also inexplicably managed to churn out such critically acclaimed groups as R.E.M. and Widespread Panic, as well as up-and-comers like Dead Confederate, All the Saints and Jucifer.

And now we have Athenian foursome Twin Tigers to add to the mix; the band has already been causing a few ripples with its 2008 debut “Curious Faces/Violet Future,” a five-song offering of impeccably catchy, lo-fi garage rock. It’s a safe, winning formula, and one that the group could have probably successfully ridden out for two or three more albums—which makes their new two-song EP, featuring “Sexless Love” and “Envy,” a pleasant little gem of a head-scratcher. Starting with a foundation already made up of tight arrangements and singer/guitarist Matthew Rain’s superb ear for melody, Twin Tigers pile on about fifty extra layers of sound and completely indulge their My Bloody Valentine jones. Oh, the hooks are still there…this time around, though, they poke their heads out from under oceanic blankets of ambience and vocals that echo and waver like ghosts in a vacuum.

In case I lost you, I’ll simplify: loud, pop-influenced shoegaze in the vein of LSD And The Search For God. Such a left-of-center progression would divide fans if taken later on in a band’s career; fortunately, Twin Tigers are still righting themselves in the dawn of their own existence, and have plenty of time to dig in. This EP is a step in a challenging, fascinating direction, but only time will tell if it’s the right one.