I first heard Great Northern on the final stretch of my drive home from college. Bozeman’s 95.1 KMMS was playing the single Telling Lies and at first I thought I was listening to something by the Silversun Pickups. But, when no over the top indie-whine of a chorus came on, I knew I was hooked. Its driving guitar rift is perfectly complemented by a vocal harmony that progresses into a powerful lyrical message.
Indie rock should take a lesson from Great Northern and learn the value of restraint in songwriting. Great Northern’s sound is fresh and wouldn’t be confused for mainstream music in the least. I can only assume that bands like Wilco and Silversun Pickups are striving so hard to not become mainstream trash that they venture too far into indie-land and lose some of the obvious musicality of their work.
If all you heard off of Twilight for Daylight was Telling Lies, you would be denying yourself of a great album. Despite the emo implications of the Our Bleeding Hearts, the track delivers a strong, almost mysterious melody with lyrics that are much more mature than the expected, “I walked into a room and no one will talk to me.”
Other standout tracks include Home, Just a Dream, and Into the Sun. Each, like Telling Lies, finds that delicate balance between indie and listen-ability without ever losing track of the band’s sound.
Unfortunately, some of the band’s sonic momentum is lost toward the end of the album. The Middle is an interesting track. Neither the verses or the chorus are poorly done. In fact, I actually like each part on its own, but the way the song is constructed is just a little disjointed. It sounds like some strange mashup of the Polyphonic Spree and the Hot Hot Heat. Perhaps it doesn’t quite work because I have to be in completely different moods to enjoy the two styles of music. Similarly, the last track Babies doesn’t quite work for me. It’s a haunting lullaby that is infused with too much emotional pain to be simply enjoyable. That said, I imagine that this was the sound that the Band was going for in the track, so their musical talent must be credited.
Final take: Great Northern is a L.A. band to watch out for. Twilight for Daylight strong sophomore release that deserves your ear.
Check them out at greatnorthernmusic.com
