Those hearing
Garlands for the first time who only know the band's other material will likely be more than a little surprised. Whereas the typical vision of
the Twins is of beautiful washes of sounds and exultant vocals from
Fraser, on
Garlands the trio is still only part of the way there. Instead, the best comparison points are to
the Cure on
Faith and
Pornography, perhaps
Metal Box-era
PiL, a touch of
Joy Division here and there -- in sum, deep, heavy mood verging on doom and gloom. Bassist
Will Heggie, in the only full album he did with
the Twins, clearly follows the
Peter Hook/
Simon Gallup style of low, ominous throb, while
Guthrie's guitar work more often than not screeches loudly than shimmers.
Fraser's singing has a starker edge, unsettling even at its most accessible, sometimes completely disturbing at other times. The strongest track,
"Wax and Wane," has the trio creating a powerful but also surprisingly danceable track, the crisp drumbox beat working against
Guthrie's compelling atmospherics and
Fraser's vocal hook in the chorus. Beyond that and a couple of other moments, though,
Garlands falters due to something the band generally avoided in the future -- overt repetition. Too many of the songs rely on a unified formula that rarely changes; one need only compare to the multiplicity of styles tried on
Head Over Heels to see the difference. As a debut effort, though,
Garlands makes its own curious mark, preparing the band for greater heights. ~ Ned Raggett
