A Review of Twin Peaks' "Wild Onion"

It could be quite easy not to like Twin Peaks, the Chicago foursome of some barely twenty year old, rock and roll rabble rousers who most likely are not even familiar with David Lynch's TV drama by the same name. So there's reason one: Twin Peaks chose their name because "it sounded cool". If you're looking for some spooky, Lynchian inspired noise, don't bother reading on. Reason two: they dropped out of college to be in a rock band, a move that proves to be maybe even more educational than some might think (just take one listen to fellow Chicago classicists, Smith Westerns, whose excellent Soft Will showcased maturation and adult sentiments, with lack of a college degree). Reason three: The video for the damn near anthemic "Flavor" finds the four boys engaging in typical teenage debauchery and illicit behavior. Beers are chugged (I'm pretty sure they're not of age), friends take risky dives from rooftops into backyard pools, guitarist (and one of all four vocalists) Clay Frankel uses a parking ticket to roll a joint, and in what some might be a fitting fate, drive their tour van off a cliff. Of course, said cliff leads back to their pool, they prove to be okay, and the beer run is successful!

But even with one listen to even just the band's first, crunchy mini LP, Sunken, it's impossible not to be won over by Twin Peaks' chesty power pop, and the other guitar playin' vocalist Cadien James', who's throaty and stumbling weapon of a voice is the closest thing to Mick Jagger, since, well... Mick himself. But he's not the only one; shades of Paul Westerberg are evident in the voice of bassist Jack Dolan, and Frankel recalls any British singer from the groovy psychedelic era (drummer Connor Brodner shows up for some good ol' gang chorusing). But then there's the music on their newest, and second LP, Wild Onion, packing in Thin Lizzy riffs, Stooges fuzz, Replacements bravado, and even Beatles melody into songs that just barely skirt the three minute and thirty second mark.

And just like you'd expect from boys your age, the majority of songs on Wild Onion are about girls. Members of the female persuasion. But unlike others their age (Avi Buffalo's horndog tendencies, Iceage's stark and bleak aversion), the Twin Peaks dudes kind of seem to know what's up. Clay's watery and wonderful psychedelic nugget "Mirror of Time" ends with a couplet, all posed as a series of questions, which come off as cliched, but with a surprisingly sweet sentiment: "Why does love have to end? / Why do hearts have to break and mend?... Do you believe that love can last forever? / I believe that love can last forever." The infectious "Telephone" blazes ahead like a Who song in miniature (it's no surprise James practically yelps "I went out, to the wasteland!", sounding like Roger Daltrey, just barely scraping those high notes), as James hopes to set aside a world aside for himself and his special lady, all through simple conversations on the telephone.

As Twin Peaks' emotional palette notably expands from the somewhat one note Sunken ("I never used to dig the sunshine much until I smoked some marijuana" still makes me cringe), the production has grown with leaps and bounds as well. Wild Onion begs to be blasted from car stereos with the windows down, but it achieves an impressive feat that not other bands who come from the garage/basement can do: it's a lovely headphones album. One can only truly immerse themselves in the impressive interplay between the dueling guitars of James and Frankel. Take one listen to the stone cold opening, "I Found a New Way", as the squalls of guitar hero glory sound as if they're conversing with each other. The record remains crunchy, yet in yet another dichotomy surrounding Twin Peaks, it's impossibly lush. The smooth jazz interlude of "Stranger World" is a euphoric listen, or if those don't suit your fancy, maybe the flute loops throughout "Mirror of Time". And though the lyrics of "Making Breakfast" recall some pensive alone time in the early parts of the day ("watching the garden grow"), the sax solo in the middle and James' howls tear the whole thing wonderfully apart, while still somehow staying structurally sound.

Twin Peaks have been known to experiment, and tinker with their sound, seeing just how far they can push the garage rock formula to different heights. Sunken had the lovely "Irene" and the gauzy "Ocean Blue", and Wild Onion is rife with these moments; James' scatterbrained description of the album comes as no surprise, citing everything from The Beatles to Jay Reatard. The beginning of "Fade Away" rockets ahead, all bass heavy-- almost like something from Cloud Nothings' Here and Nowhere Else-- before Dolan's nasally whine crashes the party. Don't let the FM guitar line of "Hold On" fool you (it's not an update on .38 Special's "Hold On Loosely"), the song soon descends into a Cocteau Twins haze of reverberated guitar and vocals, with a dash of Tom Petty to sweeten the mix.

Twin Peaks are still some fresh faced boys barely into their twenties, so some mistakes make themselves known along the way. By the third or fourth listen, "Strawberry Smoothie" and "Flavor" start to sound like songs that would play in the climax of some awful college movie. Likewise, "Sloop Jay D"'s lyrics come off like a frat boy come on (but man oh man, you can't argue with that chord progression, the impeccable structuring of the song, and that chorus, that chorus!). Tunes like "Sweet Thing" and "Good Lovin'" soon begin to homogenize into some lifeless radio rock entity, and by the time the modern day Rubber Soul swagger of "Mind Frame" rolls along, you may feel a little exhausted. But when listening to the breathtaking beauty of songs such as "Ordinary People", the time devoted to listening seems suddenly worth it. The sense of camaraderie the Twin Peaks convey is almost enough to warrant your attention; where "Flavor" may be a boilerplate rock song, along with its video, seeing all four of them in their van singing along is enough to warm your heart.

Twin Peaks - Wild Onion
8/10
Recommended Tracks - "I Found a New Way", "Mirror of Time", "Sloop Jay D", "Making Breakfast", "Telephone", "Ordinary People", "Hold On"