Welcome back to our Monday Morning Commute Album feature.
We're back with a bit of a bang after taking a break last week.
I shan't get into the specifics, as nobody really wants those, but ol' Wrrrtika's been fighting off a bit of a cold, and that's put him behind the 8Ball in terms of blog content. Yup, a little shitty - I know. Watch along as I try to play catchup.
Daylight Savings Time sucks. Who took my extra hour?
Rain sucks too - particularly during cold, dark mornings.
As such, I needed a little bit of a pick-me-up this morning.
What was said stimulant?
Well look no further than Silverchair and their (last?) most recent offering, Young Modern.
Hit the jump and we'll talk about this offering from these wonders from down under *shudder*.
That's like, the worst moniker I've ever come up with.
(linky)
the recording of young modern left daniel johns with permanent blackeye.
...okay, not actually.
Monday Morning Commute Album #5 - Young Modern - Silverchair
the cover to Silverchair's Young Modern
Album: Young Modern
Artist: Silverchair
Release Date: March 30th 2007 (AUS), July 24th 2007 (ROW)
Recorded: April through November of 2006 at Seedy Underbelly Studios in Los Angeles
Producers: Daniel Johns, Nick Launay
Performers: Ben Gillies, Chris Joannu, Daniel Johns, Matt Appleton, Alain Johannes, The Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, Julian Hamilton, Michelle Rose, Paul Mac, Alyssa Gomez, Yonathan Garfias, Luke Steele, Nayo Wallace
Peak Chart Position: #1 Australia, #6 Billboard Independant
Label: Eleven (AUS), Atlantic (US)
Listening Device: iPhone 4, iphone earbuds.
Track Listing
1. Young Modern Station
2. Straight Lines*
3. If You Keep Losing Sleep
4. Reflections of Sound*
5. Those Thieving Birds (pt. 1)/ Strange Behaviour / Those Thieving Birds (pt. 2)
6. The Man Who Knew Too Much
7. Waiting All Day
8. Mind Reader*
9. Low
10. Insomnia
11. All Across the World*
there were iTunes extras to this, but I generally don't count those.
*denotes single
Silverchair is (or was, I guess) an Australian Rock band founded in (or around) 1992. Of course, they were called the Innocent Criminals then. Their original claim to fame came when (as 14 year olds) they won the "Pick Me" contest held by the Australian Broadcast Company and JJJ Radio with their song "Tomorrow" in 1994. After this, and an obvious name change, things took off for Silverchair. I personally have been a fan since Freak Show, but my interest was really piqued by 1999's Neon Ballroom.
Silverchair is (or was, I guess) an Australian Rock band founded in (or around) 1992. Of course, they were called the Innocent Criminals then. Their original claim to fame came when (as 14 year olds) they won the "Pick Me" contest held by the Australian Broadcast Company and JJJ Radio with their song "Tomorrow" in 1994. After this, and an obvious name change, things took off for Silverchair. I personally have been a fan since Freak Show, but my interest was really piqued by 1999's Neon Ballroom.
Young Modern stands as the first album by Silverchair in 5 years, and sadly (for the moment) their last. The followup to Diorama was a long and winding road, and though the band went into writing mode for a followup to Young Modern said release never arrived, and in May of 2011 the band announced an "indefinite hibernation"
Silverchair had been on something of a hiatus for the 5 years previous to Young Modern after releasing their critically acclaimed Diorama. Johns had taken time to record a rather interesting electronic album with Paul Mac for their band The Dissociatives in '05 (great record, check it out) while Joannu worked with his side project The Mess Hall - releasing an EP in '03. Times were busy for those in the Silverchair camp, just not in a Silverchair sense.
Things changed as a result of the Boxing Day Tsunami of 2004 - to raise money for those affected, the benefit festival WaveAid was organized. Silverchair was approached, and decided to take part, effectively putting an end to their first hiatus. Ben Gillies explained that the band re-realized their creative chemistry, and decided to start working together again - "It took us 15 years, but we've finally realized 'We've got something special and we should just go for it.'"
Upon returning to action, the group began workshopping some of the 50 (!!) songs Johns had written in the interim (these were originally destined for a solo effort, but the return of Silverchair denied this.) They began practicing and touring consistently to re-hone their craft, and during a brief period in early 2006, recorded demo versions of the songs that would become Young Modern in the Hunter Valley region of Australia.
From this point, the band travelled to Los Angeles and began recording final versions with Nick Launay brought in to helm the production. In a fairly uncommon move for the 'chair, Johns co-wrote/rewrote some of the songs with the assistance of Luke Steele and Julian Hamilton (it could be argued that Paul Mac deserves some writing credit as well, heavily contributing to "If You Keep Losing Sleep" - originally a Dissociatives tune). The sole credited writing contributions on the album show Hamilton credits on "Young Modern Station", "Straight Lines", "Waiting All Day" and "Mind Reader".
With the majority of the tracks framed out and mostly recorded, the band travelled to Prague to record with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra. As with their last album, Young Modern features a smattering of orchestral stabs and support and flourishes, all arranged by famed composer Van Dyke Parks (who had also worked with Silverchair on Diorama. The consequent orchestal sections in "If You Keep Losing Sleep" "All Across the World" and "Those Thieving Birds pt 1 / Strange Behaviour / Those Thieving Birds pt 2" add a very lush and Beatles-esque feel to a very poppy record.
This record certainly is a strong, fun offering. It doesn't exactly sound like the Silverchair people have come to know and love/loathe in the 90's - gone are the shredding guitar solos and wailing screams, replaced by crooning and sweeping string sections. Young Modern sounds incredibly inspired by the artists' work preceding this album, and is all the better because of it.
The opening pseudo-titular track "Young Modern Station" groovy, frantic, melodic little number that really solidifies the bouncy sound of this album, but doesn't go so far as to be different enough to alienate listeners immediately. It's hooky, bouncy fun. This track segues wonderfully into the first single "Straight Lines" which is a delightfully poppy, if predictable number. The album picks up steam (and a little bit of weird) from here, heading into personal favourite "If You Keep Losing Sleep" a bouncy, poppy, number accentuated by super bright symphonic elements.
The album, while not long (45:12) and not particularly rife with filler, does strike a bit of a lull towards the middle - not necessarily boring, but it approaches ambient, score-esque territory. "Those Thieving Birds..." is a fantastic song, but I would have been fine with just the "Strange Behaviour" bit, and having "Waiting All Day" a mere song later might have been a little bit of a sequencing issue. That said, maybe that fit their narrative for how they envisioned the album sounding? Who's to say. Either way, it does drag a teensy bit through the middle.
By "Mind Reader", a great tune with pretty funny lyrics and a damn fine guitar hook, things are almost rolling again, and come "Insomnia" we're back in full swing - too bad there's only one song left after, another Beatles-esque track called "All Across the World".
The instrumentation on this one is a lot of fun. The trumpets in "If You Keep Losing Sleep" are gold, and the swelling strings in "All Across the World" are a thing of beauty. It's still a "rock" album, but with a fair amount of nuance to it. The tracks featuring the Czech Philharmonic really sing, and that's where you'll really hear the depth to this album. It's certainly a grower, for sure. Some of the tracks (I'm looking at you, "Those Thieving Birds...") will take a bit of time, appearing almost as headscratchers at first - but upon a few listens, you should get into them; others, like the opening salvo, will have you tapping your foot to walls of synths and guitars. There's a pretty frantic feeling throughout, evidenced in some of the bouncy tom beats and manic guitar riffs, and that's a lot of fun - pretty "rocky". John's voice is the star throughout this album though, as his vocals are wonderful, strong and noteworthy. The days of true singers fronting rock bands had taken a hit over the past few years, and this offering goes to show how well a rock formation can work with a powerful singer.
Stand Out Tracks:
- "If You Keep Losing Sleep"
yeah, yeah - like I said, this tune was dangerously close to become a Dissociatives tune and thankfully (depending on who you ask) this situation was averted. The bouncy, manic nature of this track really represents the album on a whole. The orchestral flourishes in this track are lush, thick and incredibly well executed building to a fairly complex and hooky chorus. It's a fun, complicated track and very much captures the essence of this album - it's part rock, part glam, part pop and all awesome.
- "The Man Who Knew Too Much
Things changed as a result of the Boxing Day Tsunami of 2004 - to raise money for those affected, the benefit festival WaveAid was organized. Silverchair was approached, and decided to take part, effectively putting an end to their first hiatus. Ben Gillies explained that the band re-realized their creative chemistry, and decided to start working together again - "It took us 15 years, but we've finally realized 'We've got something special and we should just go for it.'"
Upon returning to action, the group began workshopping some of the 50 (!!) songs Johns had written in the interim (these were originally destined for a solo effort, but the return of Silverchair denied this.) They began practicing and touring consistently to re-hone their craft, and during a brief period in early 2006, recorded demo versions of the songs that would become Young Modern in the Hunter Valley region of Australia.
From this point, the band travelled to Los Angeles and began recording final versions with Nick Launay brought in to helm the production. In a fairly uncommon move for the 'chair, Johns co-wrote/rewrote some of the songs with the assistance of Luke Steele and Julian Hamilton (it could be argued that Paul Mac deserves some writing credit as well, heavily contributing to "If You Keep Losing Sleep" - originally a Dissociatives tune). The sole credited writing contributions on the album show Hamilton credits on "Young Modern Station", "Straight Lines", "Waiting All Day" and "Mind Reader".
With the majority of the tracks framed out and mostly recorded, the band travelled to Prague to record with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra. As with their last album, Young Modern features a smattering of orchestral stabs and support and flourishes, all arranged by famed composer Van Dyke Parks (who had also worked with Silverchair on Diorama. The consequent orchestal sections in "If You Keep Losing Sleep" "All Across the World" and "Those Thieving Birds pt 1 / Strange Behaviour / Those Thieving Birds pt 2" add a very lush and Beatles-esque feel to a very poppy record.
This record certainly is a strong, fun offering. It doesn't exactly sound like the Silverchair people have come to know and love/loathe in the 90's - gone are the shredding guitar solos and wailing screams, replaced by crooning and sweeping string sections. Young Modern sounds incredibly inspired by the artists' work preceding this album, and is all the better because of it.
The opening pseudo-titular track "Young Modern Station" groovy, frantic, melodic little number that really solidifies the bouncy sound of this album, but doesn't go so far as to be different enough to alienate listeners immediately. It's hooky, bouncy fun. This track segues wonderfully into the first single "Straight Lines" which is a delightfully poppy, if predictable number. The album picks up steam (and a little bit of weird) from here, heading into personal favourite "If You Keep Losing Sleep" a bouncy, poppy, number accentuated by super bright symphonic elements.
The album, while not long (45:12) and not particularly rife with filler, does strike a bit of a lull towards the middle - not necessarily boring, but it approaches ambient, score-esque territory. "Those Thieving Birds..." is a fantastic song, but I would have been fine with just the "Strange Behaviour" bit, and having "Waiting All Day" a mere song later might have been a little bit of a sequencing issue. That said, maybe that fit their narrative for how they envisioned the album sounding? Who's to say. Either way, it does drag a teensy bit through the middle.
By "Mind Reader", a great tune with pretty funny lyrics and a damn fine guitar hook, things are almost rolling again, and come "Insomnia" we're back in full swing - too bad there's only one song left after, another Beatles-esque track called "All Across the World".
The instrumentation on this one is a lot of fun. The trumpets in "If You Keep Losing Sleep" are gold, and the swelling strings in "All Across the World" are a thing of beauty. It's still a "rock" album, but with a fair amount of nuance to it. The tracks featuring the Czech Philharmonic really sing, and that's where you'll really hear the depth to this album. It's certainly a grower, for sure. Some of the tracks (I'm looking at you, "Those Thieving Birds...") will take a bit of time, appearing almost as headscratchers at first - but upon a few listens, you should get into them; others, like the opening salvo, will have you tapping your foot to walls of synths and guitars. There's a pretty frantic feeling throughout, evidenced in some of the bouncy tom beats and manic guitar riffs, and that's a lot of fun - pretty "rocky". John's voice is the star throughout this album though, as his vocals are wonderful, strong and noteworthy. The days of true singers fronting rock bands had taken a hit over the past few years, and this offering goes to show how well a rock formation can work with a powerful singer.
Stand Out Tracks:
- "If You Keep Losing Sleep"
yeah, yeah - like I said, this tune was dangerously close to become a Dissociatives tune and thankfully (depending on who you ask) this situation was averted. The bouncy, manic nature of this track really represents the album on a whole. The orchestral flourishes in this track are lush, thick and incredibly well executed building to a fairly complex and hooky chorus. It's a fun, complicated track and very much captures the essence of this album - it's part rock, part glam, part pop and all awesome.
- "The Man Who Knew Too Much
yeah, yeah. okay. this song has nothing
to do with the above movie.
This track is probably a bit of a surprise on the "stand outs" list if you've heard the album, but bare with me. This song is pretty standard, straight-forward rock. It's fun. The basic rock beat on the tracl is well accentuated by a little bit of reverb/delay on the snare. It's a lot of fun. The guitar riff is really hooky, and has great tone, and the drawl on the delivery of the vocals is fun and awesome. This track will have you bobbing your head in no time, and will certainly standout as one of the better "straight forward" tracks on this album. Did I mention the guitar tone? Yeah? Well shit, it's still fuzzy, tasty goodness - don't forget it.
- "All Across the World"
Damn. This song is a great end for a great album.
Upon its release, much of the critical reception of this record made a lot of allusions to "Sargeant Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band" and while I don't completely agree with this, it is pretty evident on this track. It's rife with complex, harmonized chorus medleys and a very upbeat, positive note. Much like "If You Keep Losing Sleep" the orchestral sections of this tune really inform the three-piece rock format they surround, creeping in and out of focus rather spectacularly. This song is catchy as hell, and I don't know how you can't feel better after listening to it. Yes, it's that good.
Trivia:
- The name for this album was actually a nickname bestowed upon Daniel Johns by Van Dyke Parks. The two grew fairly close while completing Diorama and one night and dinner the name was thrown at the singer. From there, it seems as though it gestated long enough to eventually be decided upon as the album's title.
- The recording process for this record was funded internally by the band themselves, looking to alleviate "external pressures" from labels looking to influence both the sound and timeline of the release.
- The artwork for the album's cover was inspired by "modernist" painter Piet Mondrian who makes stuff that looks like this:
- The artwork for the album's cover was inspired by "modernist" painter Piet Mondrian who makes stuff that looks like this:
i fail to see similarities
So there you have it, Silverchair's Young Modern.
It probably goes without saying, but I really like this album. I'm not entirely sure it dethrones Diorama as my favourite by Silverchair, but it's definitely only a peg or two below. Check it out, won't you?
No comments:
Post a Comment