Clear your schedule, stock the fridge and turn on the lava lamps, because Nashville’s dual-fronted Twiggs are taking us all on a neo-psychedelic trip through time and space with their sophomore release Twiggs II.
After catching the TN-via-OK 4-piece in the back room of Crying Wolf last spring, even after putting a dent in my second flask, I knew to keep an eye on them. Wearing their 60s and 70s influences on their sleeves, swirling in droney grooves and gritty riffs while maintaining a freewheeling punk disposition, Twiggs have incorporated the past and present into a 11-track album that is nothing short of hallucinogenic.
Reminiscent of experimental guitar rockers like The Velvet Underground and Jefferson Airplane, "One is for the Gun" and "Touching You" are instantly classic, while "Crazy Nights" adds modern percussion and cadence to the mix. The band gets a little Pink Floyd-y with the melancholy "I Love You So Love Me," and the echoing chant at the end of "Lonely Coyote" will rip your heart right out. Staff pick "Are You High" will burrow itself into your brain and stay there. Forever.
Give Twiggs II a listen here, download it on iTunes and catch Twiggs 10.10 at The Five Spot with Buffalo Rodeo, Santah and Seratonins, put on by Palaver Records. -Caroline Bowman