The Silent Years : 'The Globe'
Released: 12th October 2009
Label: Gift Music
For their second album, The Silent Years have created something very special indeed. Despite their experimental branding, The Globe is a listenable, charming, eclectic album from start to finish, ranging across genres to become easily accessible. Yet despite it's obvious playability, it also manages to remain philosophical and intelligent, retaining a sense of mystery and peace through profound lyrics and evocative instrumentation.
Read any blurb about The Silent Years and you are sure to be somewhat intimidated by their billing. The word “experimental” instantly conjures up thoughts of deep, complex melodies and a struggle to understand them, yet this is thankfully not the case. Although remaining true to this premise, they cleverly invoke a simple touch to their music that makes it accessible and utterly charming. “On Our Way Home” is a shining example, an enchanting ballad with vocalist Josh Epstein dazzling with his crisp, echoing tone. Strings and sustained notes set the tone, yet it's simple premise is undoubtedly it's charm. “Black Hole” features yet more acoustic guitars while “The Sun Is Alive” whisks the listener beside a summer river and soothes away their worries.
At the other end of the spectrum “Know Your Place” possesses a distinctly more industrial, edgy feel, focusing more heavily on distortion sustain to gain effect. Similarly “Taking Drugs At The Amusement Park” feels heavier on instruments, it's dreamy effects creating, unsurprisingly, a somewhat psychedelic tone. Yet the ultimate expression of versatility comes in “Goddamn You”, an organ opening proceedings along with eerie echoed vocals. Electronic tweaks resound behind it, before giving way to a delightful melody and whispy vocals. Further injections of faster guitars signal the unpredictability of the album as a whole, but go further to salute the band's versatility.
What is impressive is that even the seemingly simpler, slower tracks are brimming with intelligence through poignant, considered lyrics. “Alcoholic speakers blast a heroin malaise as I work/ I work trying to escape it, trying to escape inevitability” may seem like a heavy sentiment to bring any track down, yet when intertwined with the relaxing charms of “Black Hole” they pass unoticed and only come to the fore under closer scrutiny. Aside from it's careful implementation, the band also manage to remain complex without becoming pretentious, a skill most often fail to master. Despite their obvious intelligence, a line such as “You could arrive in any city in the world and still feel alone/Linguistic differences will only further set you back” seems perfectly normal amongst some of the more complex subject matter.
Not enough can be said for “The Globe”, that much is undeniable. No matter how hard you try and describe the sheer versatility, imagination and genius behind the album, it's full effect will never get across. Not until you have sat down and been struck by it's charm can you understand how, given enough attention, you can almost hear two different moods intertwine so subtly. What is certain though, it's an experience not to be missed.
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