Hailing from Phoenix, Arizona, prominent alt-rock band TWOFEW returns with full-length album LIPS BLUE – and yep, it’s the kind of immediately engaging, piano-based rock we’ve come to expect – and love – from this incredibly tight and talented outfit. What makes LIPS BLUE the usual accessible musical delight? Let’s hit the highlights.
Wait. Who does what?
It’s truly a family affair with Michael Lazar (vocals, guitar, keys), David Lazar (guitar), and Michael’s wife, Danielle Lazar (bass). Filling out the lineup, we have Joe Gagnon on drums. And this familial trust and close-knit camaraderie is the recipe for incomparable creativity.
So, about those highlights…
The album begins with eponymous track, “Lips Blue” – it starts with ominous, almost lamenting piano chords and rumbling lower octaves. Without piano, this reminds me a bit of the alt-post-punk bands of the early 2000s. But it’s not wholly that – it’s something better; something more fleshed out and less…thinly sliced and barely a snack. Great opener.
Track #2, “The War,” is also a bit ominous, but maintains an almost marching, tenacious pulse. There are certainly narrative obstacles at play here, but the song delivers that spirited tenacity throughout. Great tune, and it’s so darn catchy, your brain will grasp its coordinated breadth immediately after the first chorus.
Track #4, “Feel,” is a little sad, perhaps romantically so. This one drips heartache with a modern alt-rock punchiness. And with an apropos guitar solo, it ends a bit more gently than other tracks, like a fragile handling of feelings that are already exceptionally cracked.
Track #6, “Gone,” starts with a great piano arpeggio and those deep, rumbling octaves underneath. Totally loving the chorus here – there is, I believe, a double-tracked vocal granting this section a bit more emotional urgency. It’s a more brief offering, but immediately affecting during its transient presence.
Track #7, “On the Run,” has a…Tori Amos sensibility – it’s that feeling of lumbering forward regardless of the burdenous, emotional tonnage seeking to sink one in their tracks. It’s a horse ride ever upwards, or tumbling with whipping force through a minefield. It’s the music of obstacles, and our ability to tolerate or subdue them.
And now, the finale – “Save the World.” This one? It’s a little more positive. Pensive, hesitant, and positive. The verse is a recurrence of two chords, and then a third offering resolution before the chorus hits. And the chorus? It’s more of a proclamation – a promise. And sure, it might come with a dash of snark, for who can truly accomplish such a feat. But it’s actually quite earnest, and it has to be – because someone has to be, and someone, anyone, has to do something.
But is it good?
It’s more than good – it’s memorable, and you’ll find yourself singing along during the very first listen. And that combination of something oddly familiar but uniquely expressed is emphatically special. If you’re looking for tight, blissfully familiar, modern-alternative rock balanced firmly on a rumbling piano, you’ll LOVE LIPS BLUE by TWOFEW. I know I certainly did.
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BELOW: Listen to TWOFEW and check them out on Soundcloud, ReverbNation, Spotify, and YouTube. Please support TWOFEW by visiting them on their website, and playing, downloading, and/or purchasing their music. And, as always, thank you for supporting real music.
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