Twilight Of The Valentines

A Valentine's Day gift from Hifi Sean and David McAlmont, in the form of Twilight, their frankly spectacular third album, released today. No need for spoilers here.

Valentine's Day is a mixed bag, whether you are loved up, loveless, joyous or jaded. And yes, it sells love when it's something that should be felt and freely given all year round. 

But, in the midst of all that commercial crap are moments of beauty and genuine joy, and in the shape of Twilight, something worth buying, holding close to your heart and treasuring. This album is for life, not just 14th February.

In an act of perfect timing, my vinyl copy arrived on Thursday night, so I am sitting here at 5.00am on Friday morning, listening to the album for the first time and typing away live, trying to keep up with the needle in the groove. 

And failing spectacularly, because I keep stopping to let David's warm vocals wash over me, or pausing because Sean has created a beautifully layered sound or little musical motif that just demands your undivided attention.

Sean's comment in the promo that he "wanted to make this album feel like you were in a dark head space while being hugged by your favourite person at the same time" is not hyperbole, it's exactly what it feels like.

Opening song The Comedown mirrors sister album Daylight, with the outer space broadcast of the thematic phrase, 

Daylight becomes twilight, 

Twilight becomes daylight, 

Daylight becomes twilight, 

Twilight becomes daylight

Set to the pulse of a beating heart, guest star The Blessed Madonna then comes in with a spoken word intro before handing over the mic to David. This is the moment in a comedown when you've washed up on the beach and realise you're still alive, that first moment of hope, that you will get through this, that there is a way out. 

The Comedown ends with waves crashing on the shore, the album's title track then coming in with beats, synths and an insistent bassline, before David sings about walking on the moon, hyperspace and "greetings from the nearest planet".

Uptown / Downtown keeps the BPMs relatively low with some lovely whooping synths and keyboard tinkles. I want to write about how beautiful David's vocals are on this song but that would be doing a disservice to the rest of the album as he is giving his all on every single line in every single song. Lots of shivers down the spine moments.

Driftaway also rides on a bubbly, warm bassline, sounding absolutely contemporary yet with a repeating key sequence that reminds me of mid-80s O.M.D. (and that is a good thing). I bought the limited edition vinyl version, which means that there's an additional flexi 7" single, containing Driftaway Dub. 

Side 1 closes with Sorry I Made You Cry, released as a single on Monday and described in the promo for Twilight as "A warped doo-wop influenced torch song from Sean’s twisted droning synths to its wonky exploding chorus". I'd say "yes, and so much more". 

Sorry I Made You Cry is described as one of the standout moments on Twilight. Having heard Side 1's five songs for the very first time, I'm honestly struggling to pick one over the other, they're all so good.

And so to the second side, with Goodbye Drama Queen. Also previewed as one of the four singles to promote Twilight, I avoided listening to it until I had the entire album in my hands. It was worth the wait. Sonically, there's a Depeche Mode vibe to this one, though these are always mere reference points, the music is unmistakably Hifi Sean. Much as I love their vocals, neither Dave Gahan nor Martin Gore could soar into the stratosphere the way David does, every time. 

Whilst Twilight is the album title, lyrically speaking, the songs lean heavily on what lies beyond.out there and Equinox's Children is a prime example, references to starlit dreams, planets, heaven's deep lagoon couple with the moon, and impact like asteroids. It's another connecting element that ties the whole thing together, creating a layered, immersive experience.

High With You contains some warming bossa rhythms, pseudo trumpet that sounds (and possibly is) Sean blowing through a rolled up paper cone, and David laughing after singing "Baby". For music that is so structured, technically proficient and thematically coherent, don't mistake this for a wholly serious record. What's evident throughout the record is how fun it must have been to make, the warmth and joy emanating with each revolution on the turntable.

Night Drive is a beatless interlude, bridging the two halves of Side 2. As I was chuckling to myself for mishearing "Can we get, can we get where we need to get" as an exhortation to Cary Grant, the needle got stuck on the word "today". Which served as a sobering reminder that I'm supposed to be getting ready for work and not lost in the twilight world of Sean and David's making. Much as I'd rather be there than here right now.

Star was the first single from the album and the only song that I heard in advance of this listening...well, I can't go so far as to say party, when I'm sat here on my own at the computer and even the cat hasn't been arsed to get up and bother me for food yet. I love Star. In an album full of them, this one shines especially brightly and beautifully.

And suddenly, it's the final two songs. Sleeping Pill offers up a juxtaposition of slowed down sounds, waves and waves countered by David's vocals, setting the pace up and down, mirroring the enervating and energising effect of the alien chemicals put in the body, tracing "your momentary incoherence into oblivious delerium".

Twilight's coda is Sirens, David observing that "it was a gift / It wasn't free / Feel no hate now / It's a home run honey" before the music drifts away into the Daylight becomes twilight cycle for one final time.

As an album review, this is all first draft, typed live whilst listening, and as such it's a mess. Which is the exact opposite of Twilight. As the second of two 12-song albums released in the space of sic months, it's an astonishing feat of ambition, coherence and execution that achieves exactly what it set out to do.

Apt for Valentine's Day, I've fallen in love with this album at first listen and I know that this will only grow deeper over time. 

In other words, you really should buy this album. Today. This minute! You will not regret it.

Side One

1) The Comedown

2) Twilight

3) Uptown / Downtown

4) Driftaway

5) Sorry I Made You Cry

Side Two

1) Goodbye Drama Queen

2) Equinox's Children

3) High With You

4) Night Drive

5) Star

6) Sleeping Pill

7) Sirens

Bonus flexi 7"

1) Driftaway Dub