Review: Music-Critic.ca
Rating: 3.5 / 5
Reviewer: Trent Depue
Twilight Hotel is the partnership of Winnipeg’s Brandy Zdan and Dave Quanbury, and their first effort since relocating to the musical hot bed of Austin, Texas. And for their third effort together under that moniker, they put forth what is at times an atmospheric and isolated record.
The opening three tracks not only stand as the record’s best, they define the first of Twilight Hotel’s two distinct musical approaches. Starting off with the title track, the soft plucking of jazz guitar leads into a track that drives that atmospheric, isolated feel. Marvelous accordion adds to it, and the vocal dynamic between Zdan and Quanbury is defined. Follow that tune up with ‘What Do I Know About Love?’ and the standout ‘Mahogany Veneer,’ which features some of the albums best guitar and vocals, and we start to feel comfortable in what this album is going to sound like.
Enter the second dynamic, where more pronounced percussion and electric guitar provide the album more tempo. ‘The Master’ seems a polar opposite the three songs the precede it, but fits in fine with the likes of ‘Ham Radio Blues’ and the fantastic ‘Golden Eagle.’ And while it gives the album a slightly disjointed feel, it actually serves to make it better.
