Tom Lynch

Scotland's The Twilight Sad has a gorgeous debut full-length with "Fourteen Autumns and Fifteen Winters" (FatCat), which, as you could probably guess from the title, is full of illustrious indie-pop melancholy, not exactly wildly different from that of Snow Patrol, but much better and never lyrically dumb. Filled with long, descriptive song titles like "That Summer, At Home I Had Become the Invisible Boy" (which actually features a fantastic, screamed vocal melody) and "Last Year's Rain Didn't Fall So Hard," it could give the impression of being a bit over-the-top, and maybe it is, and maybe that's fine. Opening is the better band A Northern Chorus, who already has some staggering records behind them and now offers "The Millions Too Many," which expands on its ethereal sea, the indie pop lushly maneuvering through a smart, tasteful soundscape. There's a lot to take in on this record--but the best parts are the seemingly simple ones, like the effected lead guitar solo on "Skeleton Keys," followed by a powerful bombardment of vocals.

The Twilight Sad and A Northern Chorus plays April 9 at Subterranean, 2011 West North, (773)278-6600, at 8:30pm. $8. (2007-04-03)

Also by Tom Lynch

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Soundcheck
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Love, Lethem, Love
(2007-03-06)

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