When The Twang emerged from Birmingham in 2007 with I Love It When I Feel Like This (QRO review), they seemed like part of the ‘neo-Manchester sound’ that was reviving nineties Midlands dance in acts like them and The Klaxons’ Myths of the Near Future (QRO review). But The Twang always had an undercurrent of emotional positivity (just look at their record’s title), which came more to the fore on 2009’s Jewellery Quarter (meanwhile, the ‘neo-Manchester’ revival was stillborn), and continues with 10:20.
Still, there are definite ‘neo-baggy’ hallmarks of The Twang’s earlier sound, such as early tracks “Mainline” and “We’re a Crowd??????????”. However, from there 10:20 goes wistful and even sweet, with the air of a nostalgic look back. Sometimes it works well (“Last Laugh” is superior to the preceding “Take This On”), but the more lovely The Twang are, the less interesting they are (see “Paradise”, “Whoa Man”, and “Tomorrow”). There’s even a country-strum Twang (“It Ain’t You”) and 10:20 closes with an unfortunate ooh-wah sway (“Strangers?”) – but in between there’s pressing neo-baggy (“Guapa”).
When The Twang first appeared, they reminded one of a sound that you had forgotten you’d been missing. But when the revival came up short, The Twang kept up on their own with their own style.
The Twang – We're a Crowd??????????
