Twin Tigers' Grey Waves LP Written by Garrett Neergaard

Twin Tigers' Grey Waves LP has reminded me of that age old adage that one is never wise to judge a book by it's cover. In reading about the Athens, GA band, I quickly came across some labels attached to the band's sound. And there it was: shoegaze. For some reason the term shoegaze bothers me. I want to say, "Hey! Stop looking at your shoes and make some music." I hear the word shoegaze and I imagine sound droning on and on without purpose. Fortunately for me and anyone else who hears Grey Waves, that is not remotely what Twin Tigers is all about. These shoegazers make noise. They bang their instruments. They change it up. Their guitars go epic at times. They get down and dirty when it counts and there's something hot about the way they do it.

Twin Tigers was formed by guitarist/vocalist Matthew Rain and bassist Aimee Morris. The one-time couple decided to forgo their romance for the sake of the band and I think it was a wise choice. There's a sexual tension driving this album that is simply wonderful. Drummer Doug Crump and guitarist Forrest Hall, new additions since their debut EP, round the band out.

The opener, "Passive Idol," does point to some pretty classic shoegazing with its opening waves of guitar, and then about thirty seconds in they tear it up with this crunching guitar riff. Then Rain drops in the sweetly seductive, "There is not a girl in the world I ever felt safer for." The song ends with chants of "I will find you out there." Twin Tigers want you to let them in, and you'd be wise to do so. Red Fox Run starts out with "If you ever want to come with us, we can shackle our love in a circle of trust." Anyone who sings, "I'm dying or so it appears, with your crystal ball and your gypsy fear," is a band for me. Rain sounds almost like a cross between Richard Butler from the Psychedelic Furs and Ian McCullouch of Echo and the Bunnymen. Other stand outs on the album were the epic "Feathers" and the surly "Crystal Highway."

This is a strong, self-assured debut. Twin Tigers isn't looking for their sound, they've found it. They draw comparisons to everyone from U2 to The Velvet Underground. And they're earned comparisons. This is an album with textures. And I'm reminded of shoegaze at its best. A band like My Bloody Valentine. A band not relying on a single sound or idea. A band out to play and explore and to take you somewhere you've never been before.