Album Review

Twin Forks – Twin Forks

• 17th Mar 2014

If you like folk inspired music that is upbeat, energetic and Americana based with just a hint of Ireland then you will love this fine debut album from Twin Forks.

Twin Forks is a new group fronted by Chris Carrabba from Dashboard Confession. He handles guitar and vocals, and his harmonising with Suzie Zeldin from The Narrative, who also plays mandolin, is a big part of the album. Jonathan Clark on bass and drummer Ben Homola from Bad Books form a solid rhythm section. A roots supergroup? Perhaps. And they certainly work well together throughout this debut album.

The albums twelve tracks, five of which were previously released as an EP, are in the storytelling folk tradition, with tales of life and love crafted expertly. Carrabba’s guitar fingerpicking is a feature of many tracks and there is some nice banjo playing on display too. The pace is mainly fast in the first half of the album, the type of music that it is difficult not to dance too, but there are some good slower tracks in the later portion too.

The album opens strongly with Can’t Be Broken, which has an insistent drum beat and a fast chorus that is guaranteed to get feet tapping, and the melodic Cross My Mind. Back To You sees the raspy edge in Carrabba’s voice adding a harder sound to a track that is strong, although the lyrics become a little repetitive.

Kiss Me Darlin’ is a tender love song that sees Zeldin’s vocals given more prominence and that can only be a good thing. The excellent Scraping Up The Pieces could be a traditional Irish folk song, a fast paced, rambunctious love song delivered with real feeling. Something We Just Know is perhaps the closest to a traditional folk song on the album, the mandolin and banjo giving it a fast melody.

Of the slower songs, Plans has a lovely plaintive air, relaxed and forward looking, while Done Is Done is slightly darker and could almost be a counterpoint, a story of what happens when things don’t go to plan. And the lovely closer Who’s Looking Out is perhaps Carrabba’s best vocal performance in an emotional message to a former lover.

This is basically an excellent debut album form a group of experienced musicians who have come together to create a sound that builds on traditional routes, yet that also has a freshness to it. As a vehicle for Chris Carrabba’s songwriting it works well, and many of these tracks and going to go down very well when played live.

Venue: Twin Forks
Support Band: Dine Alone