Youth Group "Casino Twilight Dogs" (Anti-)
By Ryan Harig
Monday. Feb 12, 12:13 AM
Steps toward brilliance.

In the years that I have been listening to music, I have been (like most indie-minded brethren) knocked down by the sheer amount of overseas talent that seems to always be just that much better than the stuff that is Stateside. Usually I choke it down and go, “Fuck that, there’s much better shit here, because we are the country that knows what indie is!” But sadly Radiohead are not from Grand Rapids, and sometimes I spend too much time dreaming of the next Doves, The Frames, and Elbow records. Sure, sometimes I’m sidetracked by a Midwest metal pioneering band or some Philly shoegaze brilliance (like Relay), but they never really contain the promise of the next A Rush of Blood to the Head or OK Computer (which, honestly, I don’t think will ever be topped). And now another foreign country has come along with a brick of gold to shove in my face: nope, Youth Group are not from Kalamazoo. These cats are from Sydney, Australia, and their new record Casino Twilight Dogs is probably the next best indie record of the month, maybe even year.

It only takes a few seconds of listening to “Under the Underpass” before you are wrapped in something warm and lovely, much like that first time you heard the striking chords of old U2 (or Band Of Horses): an intelligent mix of light, bright Tele chords and a chugging rhythm section. It’s a nice pretty sound; you may have heard it before, but you love it just the same. Good and filling all the way around. A lot of songs on the rest of the record hold the same sway, breezing by with less than four minutes for each piece of music. Enough to get the tunes in your head, and once that happens it’s over. Casino Twilight Dogs has done its work.

This is a great, shimmering pop record, but it decidedly has its feet in the indie path, because as well as songs like “Sicily” can lament a bit of pop heartbreak, others like “Daisychains” will launch your heart right out of the heartbreak that had crushed you earlier. This is atmosphere and anthemic brilliance at its best: huge, inspiring, and smiling like those songs you heard on the radio long ago that pushed their way into your memory forever; when you realized you really loved music cuz it took you places. That’s what music is supposed to do.

Buy this disc, and be happy because it’s cold as shit now in most places of our country and it’s about time for things to warm up a bit. As stupid as that sounds it’s the truth at least to this reviewer.
www.youthgroup.com.au
www.anti.com

Listen to a song from this album in our Radio section!

Click here to buy this album on iTunes!

Click here to download the iTunes jukebox application for Macintosh or Windows!

Ryan Harig

Got something constructive to say? By all means, rant away. Gonna blab about something unrelated and/or talk shit? Don't expect your comment to stick around.