Recorded: 1990, Released: 2010
Tracks: John Lennon Song; New Zoo Review; Sunflowers; When the Night Comes
Best track: John Lennon Song
Track to skip: none
Some history on this one – this EP was recorded in 1990, but was never officially released because the band broke up soon after the sessions. A bootleg version of this album has been floating around in trading circles for many years (I have it of course…it was 3rd or 4th generation so the quality was lackluster) and it wasn’t until 2010 when the first official version of these sessions was released by the band. The band did do a special pre-order for hard core fans to obtain the full “album” of Twanger (search ‘em out on Facebook or Twitter to see if it’s still available), but the general release is just this 4-song EP. I have to say, the best songs from these sessions are only on the full album, songs like Maybe, Nice As You Are & Oh Me Oh My. I’ll get to that review soon enough, though. In the meantime, I’ll focus on what is *here* on this EP.
There are four great songs here, with one of them, John Lennon Song, being an absolute classic. This one is definitely the best song on here and paints a wonderful picture of being a kid when one of your idols dies. It’s a great look at how people grow and change, and how sometimes your outlook can get a bit jaded as you get older. It’s still one of Davíd Garza’s best compositions. New Zoo Review is a wonderfully fun song with this excellent elongated groove throughout. I have to point it out here, but the sound and production here are SO good! With Twang there’s no BS – just guitar, bass & percussion. The production is spacious and everything can be heard crystal clear. The drums/percussion sound especially good on this EP.
Sunflowers is probably the weakest song of the bunch, but it’s something I definitely still enjoy. I like the progression of the lyrics in the verses, how Davíd goes from singing about the silly (a desk lamp) to something a bit more serious (marriage, family) all while using the same callback to the metaphor of the Sunflowers. When the Night Comes is the only slow song here and it’s a great way to end this all-too-short release. Man! I absolutely LOVE the chord progression and the change for the bridge in this song. Just flat-out stellar. I get goose bumps when I hear that change.
As a whole, yeah, this is really good. It builds on the material Twang had before (see the excellent Me So Twangy) and you can see the progression of this band through their short time together. With Twanger it’s like you can see the band taking that next step in playing and in Garza’s compositions…but unfortunately it was cut short. Well, unfortunately for Twang, but fortunate for the listeners and fans because when Davíd Garza went solo he really took a big leap forward. I’m so happy this Twanger material has finally seen the light of day and can be enjoyed by everyone.
Rating: 91
