Silverchair Album: “Young Modern”

Silverchair's complete change of musical attitude plays a large part in my enjoyment of this record. I've been a fan since I was literally fifteen, and I can testify that despite the angst, the band members have always been a bunch of goofballs. Daniel, in particular, has a strangely ironic sense of humor that always showed up at concerts but never came out on a Silverchair album - until now.

Young Modern is WEIRD. Daniel knows it - he over-warbles and tinges his voice with self mockery. Quirky noises and backing vocals take the place of loud guitar sounds. He's stopped taking himself so seriously - and the results are akin to a band going 'Wheeeee!'

By coincidence or on purpose, the first single, Straight Lines, is by far the straightest song on the album. It's very pretty, and comes complete with singable verse, singable chorus, and singable bridge. The rest of the tracks sound like impish tree monkeys throwing nuts at normal music. I can't separate songs so well here - it's a massive casserole of awesomeness. Daniel still loves to write songs with two or three key changes per verse, but this time the entire mood changes with it, swerving from sentimental to ridiculous and back again. The band can still play about ten different genres, but here they do it all in the same song instead of alternating during the tracklist.

The thing that always bugged me about Neon Ballroom is that the heavy songs all sound like filler. The ones on Diorama are better, but they still feel like a `break' from the real music. On Young Modern, there is no break. It's fluctuous acrobatics all the way through. This is the band that put flutes in the middle of `Dearest Helpless' and joyful `doo doo doo's into the refrain of `Luv Your Life'. The melodies soar, as do the symphonic parts. It's a sonic soup of genius, a flying musical circus.

A few tentative favorites are `Young Modern Station', `If You Keep Losing Sleep', `Mind Reader', and `Insomnia', but that's likely to change tomorrow.

The closest that Daniel gets to angst on this album comes only in lyrical spurts. He references past health problems ("So sick of getting sicker") and seems to have retained some lovely gender issues also tackled on previous albums ("I'm a sex change / A damsel with no heroine"). But for the majority of the playing time there is nothing to suggest he isn't happy as a lark. Which, coming from this silverchair fan, is incredibly refreshing. Some might prefer the depressed, anorexic Daniel and the `anger' it brought. But on the opposite side of angst is a bizarrely flavored poetry, one that tangs the tongue and tickles your mouth into an inevitably wide grin. Try to stop it. I dare you.

As a musical group, you have two options. Option A involves a dedicated group of musicians that no matter the perils they face in life, they will keep their musical identity so as long as they live. To find an example of this, I suggest you look at the catalogs of AC/DC or Slayer. Or you can choose Option B, which involves a group coming together and deciding they will venture outside the boundaries of what their band can be. For a primetime example, I suggest you look no further than Australia's own Silverchair. On their 5th album, Young Modern, Silverchair shows that 2002's Diorama was merely a stepping stone into the musicians they would become.

The last time Silverchair graced us with Diorama, the band was caught in a fork in the road. The album went from beautiful soundscapes of "The Greatest View" and "Tuna in the Brine" to bass heavy efforts like "One Way Mule" and "The Lever". The heavier songs seemed to weigh down the album's flow. Young Modern, while a softer effort, is still more varied and experimental than Diorama. Right from the get go, "Young Modern Station" and first U.S. single "Straight Lines" are great examples of tight songwriting and cohesiveness within a band. The album really struck me with it's string arrangements on songs like the McCartney-esque "If You Keep Losing Sleep". If I were to showcase the new album's sound through one song it would be here.

What the band does really well is pacing of the album. The moment the listener thinks that the band is going too experimental, the band brings them back down to earth. Note songs like "Reflections of a Sound" and "The Man Who Knows Too Much", which both follow the album's more moodier and atmospheric tracks. Everything from the Vegas - addictive "Mind Reader" to the twangy "Low" represent a band really coming into their own. While the album has different styles, the band still has carries a signature sound with them. Even though I love heavier styled music, I also like cohesion throughout an album and Young Modern does a fantastic job at that. Yes, the grudge side of Silverchair is gone, but I think this will make for a better Silverchair in the future.

The new Silverchair will have fans dancingly gleefully or running to the closest CD store to sell their copy as soon as possible. This album doesn't have any heavy numbers that will keep some of the old school fans attached waiting for an older sounding record. A word to wise for those fans, most of the time when a band tries to recommit to their roots, it backfires horribly (i.e. Beastie Boys, Korn, Metallica). My advice to you, there are plenty of alternative bands that have that Silverchair crunch to appease you.

So, for anyone reading this and getting confused by the flailing fluctuations in the ratings: I honestly believe that the "not-so-great" to "just-plain-awful" types of reviews here are a tad misguided. But DON'T BLAME THEM!

Here's why.

First, let me say that I have not been what you call a "die-hard" Silverchair fan. Although I own every one of their albums(I own a LOT of CDs, BTW), I really felt as though I was just checking in on them to see what they were doing. For some reason, I always had a feeling that something truly great was coming from them, and with Diorama's release...I finally understood why. Then seeing the divided response of Silverchair's fan-base to Diorama, I realized that I could either be musically retarded or there's something to this that others weren't seeing. I see now that even Diorama was just a hint at how bold and pure Silverchair were willing to go, with Young Modern further alienating fans.

And I've seen it before. I just so happen to be a huge TOOL fan and I remember how Aenima's release terrified and shocked fans of Opiate and Undertow.(even if those same idiots would come to see Aenima as one of the greatest albums in all of Christendom just 2 years later)

This is what is happening here. Young Modern is a masterpiece. MARK MY WORDS- This album isn't going anywhere. And only the truly closed-minded will shun it forever.

What started as a successful, hard hitting grunge band somehow evolved into the Silverchair of today. Their sound has become something unique and it just doesn't sound like anything else other than Silverchair. Diorama was the band breaking out of their grunge rock shell introducing us to them utilizing full orchestras throughout the album. It's the album that made Silverchair my favorite band. With the follow-up to Diorama , Young Modern, their sound has progressed into something even more unusual. They aren't afraid to take risks and they've returned after a five year hiatus to re-introduce themselves. Honestly, you've never heard anything like it.

The album opens with "Young Modern Station." Daniel Johns is out to prove that he has incredible range and that proof begins in this song. It varies and sways with the music, going high when the guitars screech at their highest and low when the bass and drums are at their lowest. Johns alters his voice perfectly to go in sync with the music. It's a nice touch and is utilized well throughout the album. The guitar's rhythm seems to pulse its way through the speakers as the drums almost seduce you like a crashing wave. "The band is back together," as Johns puts it and it couldn't be more true.

The beat from the last song slows down and immediately leads into the single, "Straight Lines." This is probably the most accessible song on the album meaning it'll appeal to more people. It just has that mainstream sound to it, which means it was a great choice for a single. Those pulsing guitars return teaming up with some piano work from Paul Mac that is astounding. Johns' voice shines on this song. The track has a great beat that is bound to help get you humming along in no time.

"If You Keep Losing Sleep" begins with marching drums and some more of those infectious keyboard beats. Johns does some interesting vocal work before the song really lets loose on the unique factor. This is where his voice being in sync with the music is really utilized perfectly. Some orchestral work can be heard in the background and even what sounds like a xylophone is used briefly. After hearing a song like this, nobody can say that Silverchair sounds like any other band out there.

"Reflections of a Sound" is the second single from the album and honestly...it's one of my least favorite songs on the record. It just seems bland to me, which is weird considering all that's going on with the song. It has all the elements of a great Silverchair song; Johns' amazing voice, harmony, interesting keyboard work, and a decent beat. I guess it's just too slow for my taste.

"Those Thieving Birds Part 1/Strange Behaviour/Those Thieving Birds Part 2" comes around and if you only listen to one song on the record, then let this one be it. It's a seven minute epic that is practically perfect. It's the type of song that builds and then is broken up again before ending. It starts off slow with "Those Thieving Birds." There's a lot of full orchestra work and moody guitar work along with some soothing vocals occupy this part of the song. In "Strange Behaviour," the pace picks up a bit with an interesting beat that takes the combined efforts of guitar and keyboard to sound the way it does. It's like an entirely different song in the middle of the one that began a few minutes ago. It's like all the musical components are working as one to produce an entirely different product. We slow down again as Johns starts what sounds like the beginning to yet another song, but it slowly leads back into "Those Thieving Birds." It's really an incredible experience that can only be heard to fully comprehend.

Ben Gillies pounding drums start off "The Man That Knew Too Much" before Johns' riffing guitar and Mac's moody keyboard chime in with a similar rhythm. It has an almost atmospheric feel to it during the chorus as it slows down and sounds like you're alone in an open space surrounded by nothing except Johns' tremendous vocal talent and the soothing backing vocals.

"Waiting All Day" creeps into the speakers. Let's just say the song definitely fits its name. It's a slow song that tends to drag along to the sound of Johns' vocals and those same moody keyboards. It's another one of my least favorite songs on the album. Silverchair's slow songs just tend to drag on their latest effort and they're just not my type of songs.

A strumming guitar begins, "Mind Reader," then Joannou's stomping drums and Johns' vocals kick in and make you want to sing along at the top of your lungs. It's a really great song that gets even more interesting as it progresses. "She takes pictures with her lazy eye," Johns mutters. And it only winds up getting more creative and unique from there.

The guitar work in "Low" just screams ballad to me. The chorus gets interesting with incredible harmony and high pitched ooo's blanketed within some clapping and piano work. It's quite different and incredibly hard to put into words.

"Insomnia" picks up the pace again and is one of my favorite songs on the album. Johns singing at his finest, Joannou's returns with his pounding drums, noisy guitars, Chris Joannou' low and effective bass work, and lyrics about not being able to sleep. Definitely my type of song.

"All Across the World" has come to close the record. The full orchestra returns and Johns is singing in a tone you may not be expecting. Harmony is utilized yet again and it's hard to imagine the song without it. If you thought other songs on the album were different, then wait until you hear this. The gang vocals are also a nice touch. It's an interesting way to end the record and I can honestly say I couldn't imagine it ending any other way.

I've tossed a few words around in this review that I think describe this album perfectly; creative, interesting, unique, and different. It isn't for everyone and is definitely the type of album that may take a few listens to fully appreciate. Silverchair still seems to be evolving and although some people miss the band that brought us songs like, "Tomorrow," and "Spawn Again," it's nice having a band out there that can put out new records that don't sound like a complete rehash of another album in their discography. It's creative, it's original, and it may be the best album the band has ever written. I'd like to refer to it as an unusually creative masterpiece. I've heard other people refer to this as Silverchair's White Album and I don't think I can disagree with that.

I rate this album an 8.5/10.

This is a second listen album (like

by second coming). It isn't that bad on the first listen, but this is an up and down pace album that will blow you away each listen after the first.

On the other hand, you may throw this down and hate it after just one listen. It doesn't quite have a thorough edge like some 'chair fans might want and it doesn't have the incredible melody hooks of the third album Neon Ballroom either.

If you finally enjoy this, it will be for the outstanding composition and placement of the musical talent of this band throughout the songs. Keep in mind that this may not sound together as an album to most people, but that you AND critics should generally love it (not unlike Weezer's Make Believe album

).

Bottom line is that this is a great album whether you think it is a great Silverchair album or even whether you like Silverchair at all or not.