Twin Shadow At My Heels

Alright Shufflers, if you've been sleeping on getting acquainted with Twin Shadow, WAKE UP! This album, Forget, oozes infectious track after infectious track -- completely superb, in my opinion. George Lewis Jr. is the man who birthed this band, and it looks like his hard work and effort is becoming quickly recognized... and rightfully so.

Most of the tracks were written and recorded in his house or in hotel rooms while he was traveling internationally with a dance company (he produced music for them). After the songs had been completed, George paired up with Chris Taylor of Grizzly Bear to re-record some of his work and give it more of a polished sound; in George's words: "He just had a way of taking something that sounded like demos and turning them into a record."

For me, it was love at first listen. Since I've acquired this album, I have not been able to give it a rest. It's very rare that I'll come across an album in which I thoroughly enjoy every track, but Forget has become my go-to album whenever I'm feeling the need for that proverbial jump-start (and with winter inevitably creeping into every bare pore on my body, best believe that that jump-start is needed multiple times a week). Make no mistake, I don't turn it off until the whole album is through.

Forget is drenched in haunting, obscure synths, a penetrating bass that always aims to please, multiple variations of guitar that perfectly encapsulates (but is not limited to) an upbeat 80s pop-funk sound, and drum machine beats that you can't not move your limbs to (sorry, no excuses).

The imaginative lyrics in each track guide you into a detailed storyline that soon become vivid and relatable. The lyrics may cause you to regress back to some juvenile middle school dance memory, or they can take you to a 20something-at-a-speakeasy scenario that you just experienced last week. Either way, this album can (and probably will) appeal to the masses; I'm already anxiously awaiting what's in store next for Twin Shadow. There's also a considerable amount of truth within this album, title and all:

"Amongst friends, I'm known to be the most forgetful person, that's mostly the issue I'm dealing with, never being able to remember anything. The whole record is about that: all the things I've forgotten, and trying to put them back together again, and taking one last look at them before never looking at them again." - George Lewis Jr., in an interview with nypress.com

Trust me people, this may be that upbeat album needed to get through a frigid, unrelenting, unforgiving winter. Get a group of friends together, play this album from start to finish, and create some body heat!