National Music Reviews
Twinstar
The Sound Of Leaving
Commercial Suicide
Street: 03.26
Twinstar = Collective Soul + Gin Blossoms
LA-based trio Twinstar is comprised of some talented musicians, especially main songwriter and vocalist Keith Joyner and his musical cohort Chris Candelaria, who came together after disbanding two bands most of us have probably never heard of before—Chihuahua and Revolux. With an 11 year gap between their 2002 debut and this album—save two EPs—it is possible this collaboration could have a similar fate. There is a shoegazer-lite sound to the layered guitars and the vocals are pleasant, but nothing is so impressive that it actually stands out. Opener “The Man They Came For” and single “Amazon Eyes” are fine, but they lack hooks. This would be good music for the background at a party where everyone is standing around—your feet will tap a bit here and there, but you don’t have to know who it is and sadly, you probably won’t care. –Dean O Hillis