Listen while you dance

Reviewed September 2010

It's not so much that George Lewis' ethereal, synthesizer-based music sounds a bit like vintage David Bowie; it's more that his whole approach captures the best aspects of Bowie's early musical explorations. The songs on "Forget," Lewis' debut (he performs and records under the stage name of Twin Shadow), possess the kind of smart, sophisticated combination of self-assurance and wide-eyed curiosity that marked both '70s art rock and '80s synth dance music.

Lewis' music draws on Bowie, Roxy Music and most of MTV's early playlists, but updates it for a new generation a la Variety Lab. As Twin Shadow, he reminds a bit of Spandau Ballet with his ability to marry lush, luxuriant melodies (sung in his rich, deep baritone voice) with dark, swirling arrangements to create a sound that's utterly enticing, yet at least seems meatier than a pure power-pop outfit. Perhaps that's only an illusion born of his complex arrangements, but the result is still an intriguingly attractive sound that lends itself to repeated visits. And there's no filler here, either – a real rarity on what is basically a dance album.

Review by Jim Trageser. Jim is a writer and editor living in Escondido, Calif., and was a contributor to the "Grove Press Guide to Blues on CD" (1993) and "The Routledge Encyclopedia of the Blues" (2005).