Singing with a Scottish accent doesn’t give all bands good fortune. Sure, the Bay City Rollers were huge in their day, but take The Proclaimers: okay, so they didn’t exactly have beauty on their side, but their music was, and still is, fantastic. And yet they remain a novelty in many parts of the world, due to their accents. Recently, though, Scottish bands have been fighting back. Sucioperro’s JP Reid attributes this shift to the likes of Idlewild, and more recently we have seen Biffy Clyro take the charts by storm. Keeping this in mind, let us introduce you to the wonderful world of Twin Atlantic, and their debut mini-album Vivarium…Hailing from Glasgow, Twin Atlantic are a four piece with ambition: frontman Sam McTrusty truly believes that their band could be “one of the biggest bands in the world”. Not a bad target to aim for, eh? The quartet – completed by bassist Ross McNae, guitarist/cellist Barry McKenna and drummer Craig Kneale – have already impressed critics and fans alike with 2008’s EP A Guidance From Colour, and hope to do so again with this longer release.
Kicking off in style, Lightspeed erupts out of your speakers; mountainous riffs supplemented by McTrusy’s trademark Scottish twang. This, the lead single from the mini-album, is a stunning chunk of power-pop perfection. The boys manage to pack all the energy and passion that most bands strive for album-wide into one song, a fact made even more impressive by its running time – a little under three and a half minutes.
You’re Turning Into John Wayne is another notable song on the record: an observation into the Americanisation of the world’s culture. This isn’t, however, an attack against the US; rather, McTrusty claims it is “just an observation from a guy from Glasgow,” adding that the band have “had a blast” in America. And as McTrusty bellows out the insightful lyrics on this powerful song, you can’t help but nod your head, both in agreement and to the beat.
Other stand-out tracks include Caribbean War Syndrome, an energetic thrill-ride of a song, rammed full of anthemic riffs with quieter, piano-driven moments interspersed for good measure; and Human After All, a song written in the vein of early Biffy Clyro with jabby guitars and plenty of atmosphere to boot.
Fans of the band will also recognise two tracks from the record – What is Light? Where is Laughter? and Audience and Audio – which have previously been released, and have been included in their re-recorded state to fully document the band’s progression.
In short, there are no dull songs on this mini-album. It is a spectacular collection, encompassing the band’s back catalogue as well as some previously unheard tracks. Full of up-tempo mini-anthems, Vivarium doesn’t disappoint on any level. If they keep it up, Twin Atlantic could very well achieve McTrusty’s dream quicker than they ever imagined.
Vivarium is out on the 14th of September via Red Bull Records.
Keep an eye out for our upcoming interview with drummer Craig.
More information, including tour dates, can be found at www.myspace.com/twinatlantic
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