Rating:
Genre:
Rock
Release Date: 06/17/2003
The Tyde's second album,
Twice, is a big step forward from their debut. Where
Once felt studied and underdeveloped at times, this record is bursting with energy and memorable songs.
Darren Rademaker's vocals are less of a sore thumb, as he reins in his most annoying nasal tendencies, and on tracks like the album highlight, the perfect
country-pop of
"Go Ask Your Dad," he sounds very strong. The album also sounds less like a hodgepodge of various influences tossed together (
Flying Burrito Brothers,
Rolling Stones,
Lloyd Cole,
Pavement, to name a few) and more like the focused work of a band finding their own voice. Of course having said that, it must be noted that the influence of
Felt has become more pronounced on the band's sound. Tracks like the lilting
"A Loner," the snappy and sarcastic
"Henry VII," and
"Crystal Canyons," on which
Rademaker mimics
Lawrence's vocal inflections eerily and
Ann Do plays a very
Martin Duffy organ solo, are very reverent and fun. Elsewhere on the record
the Tyde have come up with a batch of songs that easily trump their old songs and rank right up there with any contemporary band. The
rock & roll brothers-in-arms tale of
"Blood Brothers," the boys and girls twisting on the beach boogaloo of
"Shortboard City," the epic drone of
"New D," and the searching cosmic
country ballad "Best Intentions" are dynamic and exciting songs. The album has only one real dud, the bluesy
"Takes a Lot of Tryin'," which smacks of
bar-band boogie and features
Rademaker's worst vocal. The members of
the Tyde all sound much more committed and ready to rock, none more so than
Ann Do, whose keyboards are more prominent throughout, as she does a great job of keeping things interesting by switching up sounds and textures on every song. Some of the credit for the new found focus and intensity on
Twice should probably go to new drummer
Ric Menck (also of
Velvet Crush and many other fine bands), who is one of those guys who are the living embodiment of
rock & roll. Like the basketball player who goes all out for 40 minutes, diving for loose balls and ending up in the third row covered in Coke and popcorn,
Menck brings soul and passion to every project he works on. Those are the two things that
Twice has in spades: soul and passion. Add to that a bunch of great songs, and you've got yourself a real keeper.
~Tim Sendra, All Music Guide
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