“solar_twins”
Solar Twins
Solar Twins
Maverick
Solar Twins powers – ACTIVATE! Form of – a cool, ambient yet housey record! I figure that Solar Twins must have some sort of super-powers – before I heard this record, if you’d told me that a female-fronted electronic act would cover the Clash’s “Rock The Casbah” and make me like it, I’d probably have taken you to rehab for smoking crack. The fact that they actually accomplished this has convinced me that vocalist Joanna Stevens and multi-instrumentalist David Norland are possessed of powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men (or women). Comparisons to Bjork, Everything But the Girl, and (especially) latter period Deee-Lite (circa Dewdrops in the Garden ) certainly apply, but the Twins have a flavor all their own, combining ambient soundscapes with house beats and Stevens’ beautiful, clear voice to create a palpable atmosphere of detached coolness. Highlights include the housey “Puppet,” the Portishead-like torch vibe of “Better Life,” and the collision of cool and dissonance on “Alleluias,” but the whole disc’s worth a spin, appropriate both for dancing and for cooling out after the clubs close. A solid, highly recommended debut. I’ll be watching the skies for more heroic feats from this dynamic duo.
