L'ultima frase delle note ufficiali che accompagnano l'opera in esame ci dice chiaramente quali siano le intenzioni dietro al debutto di The Twilight Garden: "immaginate i Cure dell'era "Disintegration" con più enfasi sull'elettronica". Ed è la pura verità: il progetto solista di Todd Loomis, artista americano già noto per le sue scorribande in compagnia di Bryan Erickson nei Velvet Acid Christ delle ultime fatiche, è fortemente debitore nei confronti dei Cure targati 1989, ossia quelli di uno dei dischi più importanti ed amati dell'intera epopea dark, ma tale pesantissima influenza viene convogliata in un suono più electro-oriented, fattore importantissimo ai fini di scongiurare il rischio del plagio. Todd, che per inciso fa tutto da solo in questo suo progetto, ha accumulato negli anni molta esperienza in svariate band anzitutto come chitarrista, ma ora, forte di un debut destinato ad emozionare più di un 'cuore oscuro', troverà finalmente lo spazio che merita per mettere in mostra tutto il proprio indiscutibile talento compositivo ed una sensibilità artistica ammirevole. Partendo dal synthpop vecchia maniera, passando per la migliore cold wave e filtrando il tutto in un'ottica che si rifà molto finemente al post-punk rifuggendone l'impeto, il musicista del Colorado sforna dieci episodi dai tratti dolenti, sofferenti e pregni dell'ineluttabilità del lato più oscuro dell'esistenza, in un contesto dove la luce filtra appena, come un timido faro che evidenzia i contorni di una solitaria, malinconica presenza nel buio. Ritmi ossessivi, tenui e mai invasivi, melodie di synth al contempo fredde e calorosamente passionali, chitarre rarefatte che si innestano con grazia nel tessuto sonoro ed una voce sofferente, disincantata, appassionata e intimamente partecipe, proprio come lo Smith dei tempi migliori: questi gli ingredienti di un lavoro riuscito, tanto nei suoi frangenti più vicini ai Cure ("The Ice King" ed una title-track che potrebbe essere la nuova "Plainsong") quanto negli episodi più electro-oriented ("Dead Adults", "Retainer Maintainer", la nervosa "The Puppeteers"). Un'enfasi oscura che si esalta nelle trame darkwave di episodi come "Delusions Of Us" e "Something Beautiful", ma anche nella cold wave dell'opener "I Am Echo", o ancora nei richiami ai Freur in "A-Wake", fino al più concitato atto conclusivo "Melancholy Crush": una serie di melodie di grande effetto sulle quali si staglia la voce di Todd, capace di disperati refrain a pieni polmoni, di dolente delicatezza e di un'autentica, sofferta partecipazione emotiva. Quei Cure ormai sono solo un ricordo, e se è vero che ricopiarne le gesta con la carta-carbone non avrebbe avuto alcun senso, allora dobbiamo doverosamente plaudire all'opera di Todd, che ha saputo inebriarsi di quelle immortali sonorità per cavarne fuori qualcosa di sufficientemente personale con cui emozionare tanto chi si è fermato negli ascolti a 25 anni fa quanto chi, pur amando profondamente un certo tipo di suono del passato, esige che ai giorni nostri questo venga opportunamente aggiornato, pur nel contesto di una produzione volutamente 'vintage' come quella dell'opera in esame. Un debutto significativo, non solo per i nostalgici di certe sonorità: The Twilight Garden è un nome da seguire con attenzione, perché le premesse affinché ci regali presto qualche piccolo capolavoro dark - ridando lustro ad un'intera scuola - ci sono tutte. - Roberto Alessandro Filippozzi. Rating: 7.5/10

A while back, yours truly took a side trip down the less-traveled path of dark pop, with particular attention to some of the darkwave/post-punk output from labels like Projekt Records. It’s been a while since I spent some quality ear-time with that label’s releases, and when this title came my way, I decided to pay them another visit. The debut album from dark future-pop act The Twilight Garden turned out to be well worth a listen, thanks to a doom-filled retro synth groove that suggests the perfect score to a stylish underground Euro-vampire flick circa 1989. Hit the jump, read on and explore the subterranean future fantasy of this chilling first outing, A World We Pretend.

The creation of Todd Loomis – whose projects have include the vamp-themed album Lust for Blood with Bryan Erickson’s Velvet Acid Christ – Twilight Garden is a more subdued venture that taps heavily into ‘80s gothic pioneers, with particular attention to The Cure; in fact, even the band’s title is likely a nod to a Cure song. The influence of Robert Smith is quite apparent in Loomis’s vocal style – which ranges from a low, tense murmur to a tremulous wail – but the instrumental structure is a bit less directly influenced, instead lovingly recreating the warm analog synths of bands like OMD. The result of this heady blend gives the vocals a smooth, decadent feel. Loomis’s preference for slower, more deliberate tempos makes these tracks decidedly less danceable, but it’s a solid chill-out record for those of us who tend to shun the morning sun.

According to Loomis, writing and recording these new songs called up emotional states “from ecstasy to emptiness,” which he hoped to capture in sonic snapshots for each track. “All moments are fleeting, and all things end,” he explains. “When put into a recording though, something transient can be fixed in time and given extended life… music allows that energy to live in someone else for a time.”

That may seem like an overly romanticized concept, but rest assured this isn’t your standard puffy-shirted Goth self-pity stuff; there’s a definite emotional intensity at work here, and to me the music seems most joyous when embracing feelings of despair, in turn offering a genuine sense of release. That’s extremely hard for an artist to pull off effectively… unless they’re really feeling it, and I get the impression Loomis is pouring all of himself into this project. Though the intensity is dialed a few notches down from the fiery electro-pop of acts like Chris Corner’s IAMX, there’s still a steady, smoldering heat emanating from these tracks.

From the first simple synth chords of opener I Am Echo, you’re quickly seduced into a dangerous world. Both lyrically and instrumentally, this is a low-key, minimalist mood-maker that sets the tone for the more intense Dead Adults, which is definitely one of the album’s standouts. The Ice King brings the Cure influence front-and-center lyrically, vocally and instrumentally – calling to mind that band’s Disintegration era with its swirling, reverb-soaked guitars, capturing that same floating, dreamlike quality.

Guitars step aside again for the swirling synth strings of the slow-moving, sweetly melancholy title track, but the tone turns inquisitive for the bouncy mid-tempo A-Wake and the slow, darkly lurching Retainer Maintainer. The Puppeteers, with its stabbing synth bass line and glassy overhead washes is a strong callback to Loomis’s stint with Velvet Acid Christ (which often combined sparkling, angelic leads with minor key death-machine beats) and Loomis’s vocals reflect that band’s style as well, ranging from high-pitched cries to low, harsh whispers.

Delusions of Us and Something Beautiful return to a somber, reminiscent tone, the former accented by high icy chords and the latter by warm, gentle washes of ambient sound. Melancholy Crush serves a distinctly sinister closer, thanks to distant rolling bass and tight, no-frills percussion, with Loomis’s ghostly, delivery – at times strongly reminiscent of David Bowie’s ’95 concept album Outside – before soaring into a high-range climax enhanced by a touch of robotic vocoder, like an electrical phantom.

Apart from the more deliberately-paced Dead Adults and The Puppeteers, most of these cuts take their time building energy and intensity, but for the most part that approach doesn’t diminish their strength. This isn’t exactly an instant-gratification album, but I’d say the rewards are definitely there. Projekt is a very good home for Loomis's debut – it's moody enough to please the label's darkwave/goth-pop core audience, but with the added bonus of one or two strong singles with enough rhythmic energy and sexy beats to bust out as solid club tracks. Those who appreciate VAC's recent diversions from hard electro-industrial to moodier, spookier material – arguably one of that band's more interesting creative decisions – should definitely give A World We Pretend a spin.

Todd Loomis, the man behind The Twilight Garden, has a fertile musical past as a member of several bands (including Velvet Acid Christ) and graduated from the University of Colorado at Denver with a Bachelor of Music. Certainly not a novice for that respect. On his solo debut A World We Pretend he embraces a mix of synth-pop, new wave and post-punk. There's no denying that The Cure has a warm place in his musical heart because this album has quite strong links to that band's famous album Disintegration, albeit in a more electronic fashion. On various songs Todd's voice resembles that of Robert Smith, which is especially audible on "The puppeteers". Slow, cold and floating synths mark "I am echo" and "A world we pretend". In general, this album relies on atmosphere and modest tempos. "The ice king" with its mellow, dreamy guitars is an elegant piece that has a passionate accent due to Todd's heartfelt vocals. "Dead adults" is a nice synth-pop track that benefits from the addition of guitars that give some extra drama. "A-wake" keeps things relaxed, just like the Depeche Mode-ish "Retainer maintainer". "Delusions of us" treats us to melancholic, reflective dreampop. With a relatively simple instrumentation Todd Loomis has created an accessible and convincing solo debut. - Nightporter. Rating: 7.9/10

I am echo / Dead adults / The ice king / A world we pretend / A wake / Retainer maintainer / The puppeteers / Delusions of us / Something beautiful / Melancholy crush

Hacía tiempo que no escuchaba un álbum dentro del darkwave que tuviera una esencia tan urbana y cosmopolita como este. Y es que de unos años a esta parte, gran parte de la música que se compone dentro de este estilo no deja de sonar a canciones pasadas, o a letras y melodías de lo más grandilocuentes e intrascendentes que, eso sí, te impactan en el primer momento que las escuchas pero, al cabo de un corto periodo de tiempo, desaparecen de tu mente por su falta de esencia, por su falta de alma. Menos mal que gracias a nuevas iniciativas musicales como The Twilight Garden, se ha dado un aire más renovado a esta escena ofreciendo darkwave que sabe a lo que tiene que saber, a realidad urbana, a soledad del individuo en medio de la gran ciudad, a miradas alrededor de uno mientras la gente vive aceleradamente, a ruptura sentimental que duele y que dejará una cicatriz emocional, a degustar tranquilamente un café caliente mientras miramos a través de la ventana cómo amanece,… sentimientos y más sentimientos convertidos en canciones con las que te identificas porque la vida tiene ese rostro, a veces, tan amargo y duro.

The Twilight Garden engrandece el estilo darkwave a través de un cold wave con raíces en la música oscura de los ochenta, y de un synth-pop pausado que te fija en la letra de cada una de sus canciones. Con un estilo compositivo situado en la frontera de la música etérea, la parte electrónica se muestra expansiva y poderosa entre cadencias sinuosas muy marcadas que prolongan el tempo hasta su armonía perfecta con todo el conjunto. Con el ideal como horizonte, en este álbum de The Twilight Garden, titulado “A World we Pretend”, podrán sentir ese equilibrio entre sus pensamientos más personales y la música escuchada que algunos ya creíamos perdida en estos tiempos modernos tan prefabricados. Rabia y talento, introversión y delicadeza, se han unido en un solo conjunto musical que hace del arte en la composición, una danza emocional de seductor atractivo en la que es difícil no caer rendido en sus abrazos sentimentales. Así de hipnóticas se mostrarán las canciones de “A World we Pretend” en sus oídos.

La evanescencia de la canción “I am echo” se siente tan suave como el terciopelo; “Dead adults” es mucho más electrónica, más perfilada y reflexiva incitando al pensamiento mientras nos movemos; “The ice king” suena más rockera con una base rítmica contundente que combina en armonía con la languidez vocal; “A world we pretend”, canción que da título a este álbum, tiene espíritu nocturno, esa esencia que solamente Selene puede inspirar; mucho más moderna y vanguardista se muestra la canción “A wake”, con guiños de Morfeo entre sedosas sensaciones, ¡¡¡qué lujo musical!!!; “Retainer maintainer” se presenta más oscura y germana en la definición de su composición electrónica; siguiendo en la línea dark-electro, “The puppeteers” oscilará entre el miedo emocional y la desorientación existencial; “Delusions of us” es decadente y melancólica entre fragmentos rotos de la ilusión perdida; con “Something beautiful”, el giro positivista renace a través de una voz pausada y una ambientación musical fugaz y colorista, hasta que la canción “Melancholy crush” ponga el punto y final a este álbum con su contundente y arrebatadora presencia.

Sin lugar a dudas, el ilustre sello discográfico Projekt inicia este nuevo año 2010 con un álbum tan excepcional y sorprendente como “A World we Pretend”. Estoy seguro que The Twilight Garden darán mucho que hablar en el futuro por su calidad si siguen desarrollando esta línea musical. ¡¡¡Disfrútenlo!!! - Lux Atman

The singular presence on the synthesizer-driven A World We Pretend is Todd Loomis, who has populated his "solo" effort with songs of introspection. Known as The Twilight Garden, Todd has crafted tunes out of his deepest ponderings of life's imperfections and shortcomings, released on 10 reflecting tracks, reflecting because his words might mirror your own sense of helplessness.

His words swirl like small vortexes within the gauze of airy synth melodies. The songs' presentation are melancholy in nature, thus immersing you in a frame of mind to take in, and wrap around these thoughts. The music merely serves as a home for the concepts that permeate A World We Pretend.

The gothic-in-nature songs are pleasureable to listen to. Loomis has an attuned sense of vocal variation in his music. The monotone push of the correctly sequenced "I Am Echo," which leads off the album, beautifully shifts to higher ground as he ends each stanza. The song is more guitar than synth, setting the stage for a varied album of music that is satisfying in it's intended scope. "Retainer Maintainer," found in the middle of the album, introduces a soundtrack-like dance track. More dance follow on the similarly paced "The Puppeteers".

A World We Pretend is not going to be for everybody. It is for discriminating tastes accustomed to and receptive to all the nuances found in our diversities of music. If that's you, then give this album a listen.

I came across 'Dead Adults' by one-man project the Twilight Garden completely by accident. However, it didn't take long to figure out where Todd Loomis resided within the musical spectrum on the debut release, A World We Pretend. A bit darkwave, a bit aggressive, the Twilight Garden manages to blend genres and produce a catchy, keyboard-driven experience.

The opening seconds of 'Dead Adults' remind me of a remix of Saint Etienne's 'Like a Motorway.' However, the similarities end quickly. Loomis ends up sounding to these ears more like Trent Reznor during the early Nine Inch Nails days while signed to TVT Records. The sound is warm and draws the listener in easily, especially notable considering how coldly some darkwave and atmospheric post-punk can be delivered. Perhaps some of that can be attributed to Loomis' musical engineering degree he received at the University of Colorado.

“A world we pretend” starts off the new year and the new decade with a record that looks back somewhat to the previous decade, and also to the both beloved and hated decade of the 80s. The almost legendary label Projekt Records (new wave, dark wave, ethereal, dark ambient, cold wave – with Black Tape for a Blue Girl, Attrition, Vidna Obmana), and Todd Loomis (previously a member of Velvet Acid Christ), on January 12th, 2010 released the debut album for The Twilight Garden - “A World We Pretend”. It is placed soundly back in the golden days of 1989 and next to the fabulous “Disintegration” by The Cure. Qualitatively, it would not be a perfect comparison, because although Todd borrows from the structure and the passion of the Cure (the “The Ice King” is so Cure-like!!), he gives a much bigger emphasis on the electronic sound of the tracks, yet without getting away from the original sound. The album frames a very interesting proposal for friends of modern synth-pop with it’s adequately familiar and yet remarkable melodies, passionate interpretation, abstractive drum beats, and ethereal guitar parts. The leading songs are the aforementioned “The Ice King” with its freezing aesthetics, the cold wave “I Am Echo”, the club-orientated “Dead Adults” that could have been included in “The Point at Which It Falls Apart” from Mesh, and the almost tragic title track “a world we pretend”, with it’s circular addictive keys and an interpretation which is placed somewhere between Smith, Almond and Bowie. The album does not fall short of dramaturgic prominence either. “Delusions of Us” could potentially have been heard during the credits at the end of 80s fairy tale film “Labyrinth”. Track 9, “Something Beautiful”, is reminiscent of Mesh. It is at times more Mesh than Mesh themselves! For the romantic elves of the City, this year begins with wonderful omens… musically at least.

Like the gorgeously haunted music of bands like the Horrors and Bell Hollow, the Twilight Garden's songs are devoid of ironic detachment, which gives each one a refreshing immediacy, despite the overall melancholic tone of this album. The exquisite "I Am Echo" opens, with a perfect blend of mid-'90s Underworld and Ulrich Schnauss, while "Dead Adults" dips into dark-wave territory, but without the bitter EBM aftertaste. "The Ice King," meanwhile, is like a reworking of dream pop, borrowing tastefully from the guitar style of Fiction-era Comsat Angels. Weaving the aesthetics of ambient music together with icy synth pop and atmospheric post-punk, A World We Pretend captures the feeling of reflecting on life's most painfully poignant moments just after the initial sting has worked its way through your heart.