It's The Long Goodbye. The Twilight Sad

Yesterday and today I have paid and am paying attention to two bands that in my mind are connected because of the kind of music they make, The Boxer Rebellion and The Twilight Sad. Although there are noticeable differences, both play music containing pathos and both have one foot firmly in the 1980s rock of bands like U2, Simple Minds and Big Country. Besides, both were on my long list but did not make it to the blog after their albums' release but do after the CDs were sent to me and I started playing them a lot. So let's take a closer look today at The Twilight Sad.

I can imagine people asking me 'how can you compare these two bands?' Well, just because of what I've written. It is all in the pathos in the music and the dreamy quality that is part of both band's music. That said, The Twilight Sad goes for the big picture, for having a sound that can fill stadiums and arenas. Everything is at least two notches larger. Songs on It's The Long Goodbye simply explode.

This is not the full picture though. As a listener you have to keep your focus, as behind and around the bombastic guitars lie the details that make It's The Long Goodbye a rich listening experience. The Twilight Sad knows how to make a song more interesting and a lot of these facets come from added keyboards.

The Twilight Sad started as a band in 2003 and with It's The Long Goodbye releases its sixth record. In 2026 it is only a duo, James Alexander Graham, vocals and Andy MacFarlane, guitars. In the studio they were joined by David Jeans on drums and Alex Mackay on bass. Add some help from long time friend Robert Smith of The Cure in a few songs and we're there. Together they are able to puff up the songs in a grand way.

Photo: Abbey Raymonde

In the above I've made some comparisons to some great bands from the past and The Cure can be added to that list. The Twilight Sad is able to come across larger than life on record. (I don't know about live, as I never saw the band play.) In the 1980s I was often annoyed with an album after a few songs by the mentioned bands; and still am when playing the records of old. The Twilight Sad avoids this trap. And now you will ask me what is the difference? Unfortunately, I have to come up short for an answer. All I can say is that these songs do not bore me in any way.

With 'Dead Flowers' the album is half way. The song already starts out with a lot of noise and gets bigger and bigger for the whole of the seven minutes it lasts and I'm on board for the whole of the way. Hear the Simple Minds styled keyboards and all they do is make the song better and better. Next up is the single 'Waiting For The Phone Call' that alerted me to what was coming. Robert Smith adds some guitar playing. At the time I wrote "this song will eat you alive" and I notice it still does. Okay, Graham sings a little like Morrissey here but that's easily forgiven, given the force 'Waiting For The Phone Call' is.

In other words, where circa forty years ago I had switched off an album by then to play the other side at a later date, I'm rolling full steam ahead with It's The Long Goodbye ('Designed To Lose'!, Attempt A Crash Landing - Theme'!)). Maybe bands are just better today albeit far less original, as yes, I have heard this kind of music before. With the difference that I simply like it so much more in 2026.

(And then I notice that my download has the order of songs wrong. It doesn't take away anything from the power I've experienced listening to It's The Long Goodbye.)

Wout de Natris - van der Borght

 

You can listen to and order It's The Long Goodbye here:

https://thetwilightsad.bandcamp.com/album/its-the-long-goodbye 

The Second I’m Asleep. The Boxer Rebellion

Today and tomorrow I am paying attention to two bands that in my mind are connected because of the kind of music they make, The Boxer Rebellion and The Twilight Sad. Although there are noticeable differences, both play music containing pathos and both have one foot firmly in the 1980s rock of bands like U2, Simple Minds and Big Country. Besides, both were on my long list but did not make it to the blog after their albums' release but do after the CDs were sent to me and I started playing them a lot. So let's take a closer look with first The Boxer Rebellion.

I had planned to start my review that I know The Boxer Rebellion only from that one song, 'Diamonds'. Checking to be certain, I found that I've reviewed the album 'Ghost Alive' from 2018, also the last album to be released before The Second I'm Asleep. I have to own up here and to quote our former prime minister Rutte, I have no active memory ever to have listened to the album. Chances are this will change with The Second I'm Asleep. What I've heard is more than worthwhile to listen to again.

The Boxer Rebellion formed a quarter of a century ago in London and is releasing records since 2005. This is the band's seventh studio album. Based on my knowing 'Diamonds', a song that charted in The Netherlands and is a staple in the yearly Top 2000 fest at the end of the year, not much seems to have changed since its release. The Boxer Rebellion plays a dreamy kind of indie rock with musical parts that meander throughout the song. For reference, Canadian acts like Patrick Watson, City + Colour and Half Moon Run come to mind, with Dutch band Loupe as a good contender as well. The Boxer Rebellion fits effortlessly in this list.

Promo photo: Ry Cox

The music on The Second I'm Asleep is dreamy but has grit to the dream. A dream that makes an immediate impression without turning the dream into a nightmare. The swaths of sounds synths produce in a song like 'This House' and the voice of singer Nathan Nicholson are interspersed by the tough hits on the snare drum and the piano notes that bring dreamers back to reality immediately. Drummer Piers Hewitt has the tendency to keep the band on track throughout the album. The song is extremely rich by the way, like most songs are. So much is happening musically that my ears have a hard time keeping up. A highlight of The Second I'm Asleep. The surprise is the Massive Attack like triphop influenced 'Second Guess'. The song works really well in the context of the album.

Some might say that the album sounds over-familiar, and not just for The Boxer Rebellion but in general. I've even read negative associations to the title of the album. This may all be. In my ears The Second I'm Asleep sounds urgent, a record by a band that has something to prove and just does. After a hiatus of eight years one tends to speak of a comeback album. Despite having only one song to compare it to, the comeback is successful because of the tightness of the dreamy music and that grit it holds in most of the songs. This band is back alright.

Wout de Natris - van der Borght

 

You can order the album on the band's website:

https://theboxerrebellion.com/products/the-second-i-m-asleep-cd 

 

Heaven Knows What Time. Vera Ellen

Vera Ellen can be found on this blog since 2021 with her debut single on the Flying Nun label from New Zealand, called 'You!'. With Heaven Knows What Time she releases her third full length album since that debut. By now I'm a fan and it will come as no surprise that her latest album is going down like the word of vicar into the mind of his flock.

During my first listening session, I experienced a slight feeling of disappointment. Heaven Knows What Time seemed a bit more of the same. I soon found this had mostly to do with the familiar sound of Vera Ellen voice. Where the music is concerned things are definitely different, as in richer and fuller.

Just before my vacation I reviewed Courtney Barnett's latest album 'Creature Of Habit'. I noticed how much lighter the album sounded, with Ms. Barnett even using her voice differently in several songs. It is here where the similarities start. While creating her previous album, 'Ideal Home Noises', Vera Ellen was going through a rough patch in her life in a few ways. This was reflected in songs that were bare and rough at the edges. Heaven Knows What Time has dropped the former and enhanced the latter, resulting in songs that are full, often exciting and surprising. Totally opposed to my first impression, in other words. I do not know what Ms. Ellen's mood was while writing this album, but my guess is it was a lot better, as that is what Heaven Knows What Time tells me one album long. Listen to the studio cheering and applause at the end of 'Thaw'. It sounds like someone being very happy with the end result.

The sound on this album for example is far more a band effort, expanding on the indie sound Vera Ellen shared with us so far. This already shows in the opening of the album. 'Spit @ The Sky' starts with two guitars intertwining, but with a luxurious feel to their sound. There's no holding back where the sound is concerned. So, it comes as no surprise when the band joins in at full force, creating an indie version of the light and the shade. Vera Ellen's voice(s) are the cherry on the cake 'Spit @ The Sky' is.

She maintains this level of musicianship with ease. A song may be a little prickly, the melodies jump at you nonetheless, pulling you in to enjoy them fully. Sampled voices come as a surprise but are fun to listen to. Again, they enhance a song, making the album ever more interesting. Another song is slower making the album more varied and thus more interesting. And there is one of the singles, 'When It's Over' with Hemi Hemingway. I already wrote on it, but it deserves a special mention anyway because of its exquisite beauty.

What stays with me most, is the overarching feel the album shares with me as listener. It's totally different from 'Ideal Home Noises', but just like that album it grows and grows on me, allowing me to discover the little extras in the arrangement one at a time. After I've listened to Heaven Knows What Time once again, there's only one complaint left: Vera Ellen is touring Europe (with Aldous Harding) and skips my country. How is that possible!?

Wout de Natris - van der Borght

 

You can listen to and order Heaven Knows What Time here:

https://veraellen.bandcamp.com/album/heaven-knows-what-time 

 

Night Owl Envies The Mourning Dove. Caitlin Canty

Caitlin Canty schaarde zich met haar vorige drie albums onder de smaakmakers binnen de Amerikaanse rootsmuziek en laat met Night Owl Envies The Mourning Dove horen dat daar niets op valt af te dingen.

De Amerikaanse muzikante Caitlin Canty is nog niet heel bekend, maar iedereen die haar albums kent weet dat ze een uitstekende zangeres en een getalenteerde songwriter is. Het leverde de afgelopen jaren een serie geweldige albums op en ook het deze week verschenen Night Owl Envies The Mourning Dove is er weer een. Caitlin Canty maakt Amerikaanse rootsmuziek met uiteenlopende invloeden en het is muziek die opvalt door bijzonder mooi gitaarwerk, sterke songs en de mooie en krachtige stem van de muzikante uit Vermont. Ik heb haar vorige albums heel hoog zitten, maar ook haar nieuwe album stelt weer geen moment teleur.

De Amerikaanse singer-songwriter Caitlin Canty bracht al in mei haar vijfde album uit, maar beperkte zich in het voorjaar tot de versie op cd en vinyl, die via haar website was te bestellen. Ik heb er even over getwijfeld, maar door de absurd hoge verzendkosten van het moment en de grote kans op aanvullende douanekosten besloot ik te wachten tot de officiële release deze week. 

Dat ik ondanks de torenhoge kosten toch nog even twijfelde heeft alles te maken met de kwaliteit van de vorige drie albums van Caitlin Canty. Golden Hour, het in 2011 verschenen debuutalbum van de Amerikaanse muzikante, trok nog niet mijn aandacht, maar Reckless Skyline uit 2015, Motel Bouquet uit 2018 en Quiet Flame uit 2023 zijn rootsalbums die wat mij betreft mee konden met de beste rootsalbums van dat moment. 

Met name het samen met Jeffrey Foucault gemaakte Reckless Skyline is nog altijd een bijzonder indrukwekkend album, waarop Caitlin Canty excelleert als zangeres en songwriter en waarop bovendien fantastisch gitaarwerk is te horen. Op Motel Bouquet schoof de Amerikaanse muzikante wat op richting een meer ingetogen geluid en dat deed ze in nog wat sterkere mater op Quiet Flame, waarop de muziek vooral ingetogen en akoestisch was en bovendien wat traditioneler van aard. 

Op het deze week dan eindelijk officieel verschenen en ook via de streaming media platforms beschikbare Night Owl Envies The Mourning Dove schuift Caitlin Canty weer op richting een net wat steviger geluid, dat dichter tegen het geluid op Reckless Skyline aan kruipt, al is er ook volop ruimte voor meer ingetogen songs.

Caitlin Canty heeft Nashville, Tennessee, inmiddels verruild voor haar geboortegrond in Danby, Vermont en week uit naar het nabijgelegen platteland van Maine om haar nieuwe album op te nemen. Night Owl Envies The Mourning Dove werd samen met een beperkt aantal muzikanten nagenoeg live opgenomen in slechts vier dagen tijd, waarbij moet worden vermeld dat Caitlin Canty tijdens het opnemen van het album bijna acht maanden zwanger was. 

De productie van het album deed ze samen met de vooral van Josh Ritter en van het vorig jaar verschenen en indrukwekkende debuutalbum van Louisa Stancioff bekende Sam Kassirer en het is een bijzonder fraaie productie. Night Owl Envies The Mourning Dove bevat een aantal ingetogen, een aantal net wat stevigere en een beperkt aantal bezwerende songs en ze zijn allemaal even mooi. 

Net als op haar vorige albums verwerkt Caitlin Canty vooral invloeden uit de folk en country in haar songs en komen af en toe wat invloeden uit de blues voorbij. Haar songs vallen ook dit keer vooral op door fraai gitaarwerk en hier en daar een pedal steel, maar Night Owl Envies The Mourning Dove bevat ook een tweetal songs waarin de keyboards domineren en waarmee Caitlin Canty een voor haar nieuw geluid laat horen. 

Wat niet is veranderd is de kwaliteit van de zang, want die is ook op het nieuwe album van Caitlin Canty weer erg hoog. De Amerikaanse singer-songwriter beschikt over een prachtige stem, die zowel in de meer ingetogen als in de wat stevigere songs op het album makkelijk indruk maakt. De zang van Caitlin Canty is wat mij betreft het mooist in de indringende slottrack Heartache Don’t Live Here, maar de zang in de andere tracks is niet veel minder. Het zal inmiddels duidelijk zijn dat Caitlin Canty wederom een prachtig rootsalbum heeft gemaakt. Voor iedereen die het horen wil.

Erwin Zijleman

 

Je kunt Night Owl Envies The Mourning Dove hier luisteren en bestellen:

https://caitlincanty.bandcamp.com/album/night-owl-envies-the-mourning-dove 

.NoWordsNeedeD, 03-05-2026

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbMh146pQ2s&list=RDJbMh146pQ2s&start_radio=1

 

.No