Is it wise to have the word 'twilight' in your band name in this day and age?
I think not. Unless .that is, you want to attract a young adult fan base or sing about vampires.
I don't think Twilight Hotel are aiming for the former and they certainly don't do the latter. A track entitled The Darkness might give you pause for thought but this turns out to be a slow burning blues number with a long instrumental intro followed by the repeated plaintive cry of "I have seen the darkness".
Twilight Hotel are a Canadian husband and wife duo Brandy Zdan and Dave Quanbury who now reside in Austin, Texas. This is their third album; a record with strong themes of moving on and looking back.
It was made before they'd found a permanent home in Texas so was essentially conceived while on the road.
Frozen Town recounts a final cold winter in Winnepeg while Mahoganey Veneer, the best track, is a travelogue of new sights and sounds in the States tinged with a hint of homesickness.
The first two songs, the title track and What Do I Know About Love? feature Zdan on accordion which gives both tunes a dark cabaret feel.
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On other tracks a meaty slide guitar and the lonesome sound of the pedal steel create a nice raw'n'rootsy atmosphere, especially on Ham Radio Blues.
On the down side, neither Quanbury's easy going croon nor Zdan's attractive but rather conventional voice are quite mean or raw-edged enough to be create the full effect these songs need.
Lyrically too they often punch below their weight e.g. "the truth unravelled like a favourite sweater's sleeve" (Poor And Hungry)
It's quite an alluring record although it drifts a little too much towards easy listening for my taste.
Maybe a few blood sucking vampires would have helped spice things up a bit after all!
Twilight Hotel's Web Zone
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