The Tyde – Twice. This week’s album review – by Roo...

Got some cash burning a hole in your pocket and an urge to buy a new album? You could do a lot worse than picking up this relatively unknown long player.

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The Tyde – Twice

The inlay for this album suggests to me that is one best enjoyed on a hot day, the cartoon-like cover art depicting a surfer dude carrying his board along the beach gazing out at the ocean on a sunny day. Inside there are drawings of seagulls flying across a full sun and a couple holding on to each other as they skate down a hill. Awww...

We’ll ignore the fact that there isn’t anything useful inside the folded cover like song lyrics and just focus on the sunny day feel you get before even playing CD which, like the inlays, is covered in cartoon art – this time of a guy catching some waves.

I stumbled across this album a couple of months ago after seeing it recommended on another blog. The author described it as sounding a bit like Lloyd Cole which convinced me there and then that it could be worth a listen. They were dead right, it does sound a little like Cole and it is definitely one to check out.

‘Twice’ is littered with happy sounding (although not always lyrically upbeat) pop songs that are the perfect accompaniment to a drive along the coast on a sweltering August day. Windows down, shades on, music making you tap your hand on the roof as you cruise down the road...bliss (maybe the cover art is getting to me).

The first three tracks on the album set the scene with the gentle guitar strumming and almost childlike keyboards of ‘A Loner’ acting as some sort of aural masseuse helping you relax as your head starts to nod in time with the beat. I can almost hear the waves crashing onto the beach.

‘Henry VIII’ arrives soon after and is immediately more up-tempo with singer Darren Rademaker’s voice being electronically altered slightly to give it that Strokes feel as he sings his way through the sarcastic sounding 2 and a half minute gem.

Things are going well as arguably the best song on the album arrives. ‘Go Tell Yer Dad’ was described somewhere as being "perfect country pop" but don’t let that put you off. It sounds a bit like Granddaddy to me but don’t let that put you off either! A jangley tale of lost love (from what I can tell – damn their lack of lyrics in the insert!) that sounds better when played LOUD!

But just as you get comfortable Rademaker slips into Cole-mode to deliver the morbid sounding ‘Best Intentions’. Not ideal for that trip up the coast but a decent song none the less.

BOOM! ‘Crystal Canyons’ explodes out of the speakers as the Los Angeles quartet get back to rocking out. Two minutes of cali-rock ensure that your road trip is most definitely heading back in the right direction again.

More distorted vocals follow on the bluesy ‘Takes A Lot Of Trying’, which somehow doesn’t really fit in with the ‘vibe’ of the rest of the album. All Hammond organs and effect pedalled guitar solos if you will. Taken on it’s own it isn’t a bad song but when you listen to the 11 songs as a whole it kinda feels like it was added at the last minute as some sort of filler.

‘Memorable Moments’ gets ‘Twice’ back on track with the return of the Granddaddy sound. As the song goes on Rademaker sounds more and more like Gary Daley from China Crisis to me which I don’t think is a bad thing at all to be honest.

A tale of rock & roll camaraderie is depicted next in ‘Blood Brothers’. The last third of this song could, in my opinion, be a previously undiscovered Strokes song – seriously. If you have a passing interest in New York’s favourite sons (well, for the last couple of years anyway) then you could do a lot worse than trying to get your hands on this track.

‘Shortboard City’ sounds like T-Rex doing a some sort of cross between Chuck Berry’s ‘You Never Can Tell’ and ‘Back In The USSR’ by The Beatles. I defy anyone to listen to it and tell me any different! Get that hang a-taping driver...

Things slow right down again as ‘Breaking Up The Band’ leaks through the speakers. This is a simple Dylan-esque lament about loss which sounds like the singer is going to burst into tears at any moment.

The CD ends on a high note as ‘New D’ mixes the best bits of the rest of the album together and comes up with a 5 minute epic. The familiar vocal tone is there mixed with quiet verses and exploding choruses. All the time a fuzzy keyboard sound is layered in giving the track an industrial feel. A great way to end a very good album.

Summary: The album isn’t a new release, it was put out in 2003 but since it was stumbled across it has been a permanent feature in my multi-changer. A couple of low points prevent it from getting a perfect score from me but if you fancy something for that summer drive you could do a lot worse than ‘Twice’.

4 out of 5

Standout tracks:

Go Tell Yer Dad
New D
Blood Brothers
Henry VIII

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