As far as quaint goes ‘Let Go’ is pretty much up there with a summer stroll through a Chiltern village. There’s little intensity or vigour, just a real sense of quiet calm; the sense of a band letting go, if you will. In fairness, this record might just scrape though into the realms of the Punktastic bracket. It might not though.
If you believe the press release, The Silent Years is one of those bands with quite a hefty work ethic, and a similar volume of band members. ‘Let Go’ is a quickly-recorded stop-gap following 2008’s ‘The Globe’. It sounds like a cross between indie-rock, orchestral indulgence and someone who likes things a little bit fancy. There’s no doubt about it, this is an intriguing listen.
āVampires Bite the Hand That Feedsā opens like it’s just got off the Black Parade before becoming more of a Beatles sounding number. āTaking Drugs at the Amusement Parkā is layered and atmospheric with a whopping Franz Ferdinand-esque dah dah da da dah chorus, whilst āForest Fireā has a hint of Regina Spektor about it. Closer āClaw Marksā is a distorted techy number that, despite its foray into the experimental, still sounds unobtrusively charming, whilst bringing to mind A Perfect Circle’s cover of āThe Nurse Who Loved Meā. It’s safe to say that there’s a fair amount going on here.
Make no qualms, this record isn’t going to impress all that many Punktastic readers, nor will The Silent Years blow-up any time soon. However, there’s more than enough here to make for an intriguing half hour that’ll gently while away an easy Sunday afternoon.
Alex