Review/ Eye Weekly/ Toronto/ Jan 2011
Before setting out to craft their third LP, When the Wolves Go Blind, Prairie-raised songwriters Dave Quanbury and Brandy Zdan ditched their hometown of Winnipeg for the clear, weird skies of Austin, Texas. Still the duo stayed true to their roots by recruiting veteran Canadian producer John Whynot to help them realize this original batch of wistful folk-rock tunes. Though Twilight Hotel’s straightforward melodies are sometimes bogged down by needlessly dense arrangements (particularly on the waltzing title track), the songs shine brightest when Quanbury takes the lead vocal on sparse heart-wrenchers like “Mahogany Veneer.” With the effortless way Twilight Hotel captures traditional, yearning narratives, a spin of this disc will turn your daily commute into a lonesome journey down a dusty highway.
-Rob Duffy
