Walkie Talkie-Twilite at Spanish Castle
This one is really tough to get a
handle on. Just who are Walkie
Talkie? Twilite at Spanish Castle initially
sounds like Jim Lacey-Baker and Dani Francis being backed by about three or
four different bands. But when I dig in
to the liner notes, I find that most of the tunes and guitars come from Baker,
who is blessed with a subtly convincing voice and a virtuoso guitar touch.
The group seems to operate out of
three or basic modes: Baker by himself
as folk blues troubadour, an electric, bluesy cock-rock outfit, and starsailing
psychedelic explorers. The first two
options range from enjoyable to mildly irritating. The last sees the group produce some of most wonderful,
unclassifiable sounds heard since the demise of Jeff Buckley.
Twilite . . . . starts off in fine
fashion. “Alien Boy” is a delicate
slice of fingerpicked guitar and some of the best electric sounds since Nick
McCabe was piloting the Verve, all feedback and flow. On “Lost and Alone”, featuring just voice and guitar, Baker is
convincing enough to conjure up images of Nick Drake if he were influenced by Beggars
Banquet. The Beggars Banquet
sound spills over into the chorus of the next track, “Stop Dragging Me Down”,
with its slippery slide guitar licks and nifty female backing vocals. In the verse, however, I heard disheartening
traces of late Aerosmith-styled riffage (was it “Love in an Elevator”?) “Good Luck Charm” continues on a similar
path, it could almost be a Black Crows outtake, albeit a pretty good one, with
Francis adding country styled backing vocals.
“Hard Times” has the Appalachian charm of “Factory Girl” recorded on
scratchy vinyl. “For You” is the most
successful example of the band exploring the Americana relm, sounding like the
1970 Stones, Jimmy Page, and Stevie Nicks.
The final track is another spaced-out gem, with lovely keyboard
flourishes accompanying the duo into orbit.
Personally, I would enjoy Walkie
Talkie more if they stuck to their more obtuse sonic abstractions, such as the
opening and closing tracks. However,
fans of solid, acoustic-based music (especially Wilco fans) will find a lot to
enjoy on Twilite at Spanish Castle.
This is a confident, well-written album that has some parallel to Yo La
Tengo’s recent releases. If these guys
can get the courage to let go across a whole album, watch out, because it could
be astonishing.
(For the latest Walkie Talkie news, go
to www.mp3.com/walkietalkie)
