Twilight Revival: Parlor

Never ones to hide their admiration of Wilco and Paul Westerberg, Chicago up-and-comers Twilight Revival tread familiar territory at the beginning of their second release and first full-length album. Which is all well and good, especially when you hear the raucous, Stones-ish fun of “Helicopter”, the Americana-tinged “Devil’s Crutch”, or that distorted guitar blast its way into the plaintive, acoustic rocker “If Only”, but in the end, what makes Parlor so damned compelling is the darkness that gradually creeps in as the album goes along. “Madison” combines historical storytelling with a feeling of impending doom in a way that would make Patterson Hood proud, the drunken shuffle of “Fields” is infused with tense lead guitar fills, while the unsettling “Dealing in Integers” takes the feeling even further, erupting into a cathartic, dissonant coda. By the time the record climaxes with the bleary-eyed country of “May Tomorrow Be Better”, instead of adeptly paying homage to their influences, the band is closer than ever to creating an identity of their own.