For their full-length debut LP, Fire Sounds (Vanguard), The Watson Twins insist that you don’t classify their music as “country.” “It’s a lot of things: folk, country, gospel, a little jazz, indie,” Leigh Watson says. “We tried to create a warm and earthly record with songs that hint at country, folk and rock – all good things present in the south,” says Chandra Wilson, the other half of the singing duo.
The twins’ blend of sounds is evident upon first listen. The album – largely conceived during their tour with Jenny Lewis in support of their collaborative effort, Rabbit Fur Coat – invokes various genres and influences from their youth including Emmylou Harris, Simon and Garfunkel, and ‘80s pop. In fact, they recorded a cover of The Cure’s “Just Like Heaven,” after hearing the song on the radio. As Leigh proclaims, their sound is more indicative of a “melting pot” as evident on tracks such as “How Am I To Be,” the melodic and enchanting “alt-country” opener or “Fall,” a tune reminiscent of the twins’ earlier work with Lewis.
“Our goal was to make a cohesive record that took these folk songs and experimented with new sounds,” Leigh says. To achieve this, the twins recorded on analog tape rather than with digital. “When things sound compressed and digital I struggle to relate to the voice.” To finalize the album’s 11 songs from about 40, the two primarily wrote songs alone and came together later to finalize production and choices. “The ones we ended up using kind of picked themselves,” she says. “It didn’t feel like work. That is when you know it feels right.”
– Britt Julious
The Watson Twins: www.thewatsontwins.com
Vanguard Records: www.vanguardrecords.com