Search - Silkworm :: It'll Be Cool

Fitting Title for a Swan Song - RIP Michael Dahlquist

Andrew Bartlett | Seattle | 07/29/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Like Joey Ramone's farewell album "Don't Worry About Me," Silkworm's "It'll Be Cool" bears a prescient title. It is, we now know, the band's swan song. To say Michael Dahlquist was the drummer is to understate his immense role in the band, and his tragic death on July 14, 2005 has led the band to dissolve. Dahlquist was killed so senselessly (by a woman intent on committing suicide who rammed the car carrying Dahlquist and two friends and fellow musicians, killing all 3 but causing her minimal injury) that I long for "It'll Be Cool" to be some kind of farewell from the other side of life, as if Dahlquist is saying "this, too, shall pass." It's not any kind of purposeful farewell, of course. Many have noted that it is, though, Silkworm's best album since "In the West," and this *is* a fitting state of affairs -- even though the pain that Dahlquist's family and legion of friends feels is hardly softened by the high quality of the album. It's altogether too bad that this review can't be more about other vital facts: First, Silkworm is that rare, rare bird: a sui generis rock band that plied their trade as a fiercely independent band for more than 15 years. Quick: Can anyone name 5 indie rock bands that have stayed the course for that long? Second, the band's genius is so particular that they leave a hole in the rock world. They have always had a minimum of two distinct singing and writing vibes, yet they didn't dissolve in a Husker Du, Uncle Tupelo, Jayhawks, Libertines tangle. They thrived on their longevity and distinctiveness. Michael Dahlquist was integral to those facets. Now he's gone. But he lives on in people's hearts and memories and, ultimately, in the band's awesome recorded output."

Best Album in Years

D. Williams | USA | 09/22/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I've been buyin' stuff by these guys for over 10 years now. Each album keeps me coming back but I do find I don't enjoy the folky-Dylan sounding stuff as much (still great, mind you). This album really shines. Albini's production is amazing (even more than before) and I find myself wanting to replay it over and over just to find all the gems I missed. The variety of sounds is really the key to me liking it. If you like Silkworm, you'll love this. If you like Shellac, you may like this one more than the other Silkworm albums."