Very Glad I Gave This a Try!
El Cubiche | Atlanta, GA | 05/20/2010
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I heard "You Will Leave a Mark" (the third track on this album) on satellite radio several days ago. Great song. That led me to purchase the entire album, and to my pleasant surprise, the entire album was worth it. Solid songs, very catchy. You're going to hear about this band very soon, if you haven't already.
A Silent Film obviously have varied influences that form their sound, but the music seems very accessible. If you like older Keane and Coldplay, you'll appreciate the way the band incorporates the use of piano. Too many bands either skip the piano, or can't use it effectively, especially in songs with fast & changing tempos. Not a problem here. In terms of overall sounds, the album is like a cocktail with bits of influence from Stereophonics, The Killers, and even Muse at times - and yes, that is all a very good thing. The songs have nice texture to them, and it becomes obvious that while the band may not be going full-on for anthems to fill arenas, their songs have enough layers to rise above much of the junk being played on "alternative" stations today. There is a nice mix of falsetto singing with straightforward choruses - the vocals sound very clean here. Besides "Mark", other solid tracks include "Julie June" and "Sleeping Pills".
Originally, the only thing I thought that might have made the album more complete would have been a little more variety. Most of the songs are faster-paced and obviously share similar ideas musically. Then the album ended with "Aurora" - stripped down surprise that made me appreciate the album as a whole even more."