The Silent Years The Globe by: Liam Tracey Wed:19-Nov-08 Label: Defend Music Year: 2008 WB rating 80 out of 100

One of the best things about the approaching Australian summer is the range of new records competing for inclusion on your soundtrack to the hotter months. Whilst stepping up perhaps a little too early for a ‘soundtrack to summer’ accolade, The Silent Years have still produced something extremely appealing. The Globe is an album that doesn’t wane in its upbeat style – sometimes bouncy, sometimes simply uplifting – from the time it begins to its final chorus.

What better way to begin an album so jam-packed with sounds than to give it all a go in the opener? ‘Out of the Wild’ defines The Silent Years from the start; they are a band that isn’t afraid to try a bit of everything. Then, as if to show the band has ‘warmed up,’ the full-to-the-brim overture of the track suddenly segues into the realms of controlled epic, and a number that could easily provide the climax to one killer conclusion. Strategically placed to take a stranglehold over listeners at the beginning though, it is ‘On Our Way Home’ that sets a stellar benchmark for one fantastic set of tunes. Liken it to ‘Is There A Ghost’ – the start-slow/build-strong opener on Band of Horses’ Cease to Begin – but with added force via vast array of strings and percussion and you’ll arrive at The Globe’s standout number. The album hardly takes a tumble from there, but it isn’t really until its final number that this standard is reached again.

The Globe is an exhibition in The Silent Years’ keen ability to make smooth transitions, as they move faultlessly between the manic, the calm and the obscure. Whilst the band opens with numbers full of atmosphere and near-orchestral arrangements, they aren’t afraid to step back with solid rock additions like ‘Climb on my Back’; replete with vocalist Josh Epstein’s impressive falsetto. The guitar driven numbers – including ‘The World’s Worst Birthday Gift’ and ‘Ropes’ (which reflect the heavier side of Death Cab For Cutie) – pop up here and there, and are more than welcome as they relieve the band’s more eclectic numbers.

With press likening The Globe to works from The Flaming Lips and Elliot Smith, The Silent Years have quite the reputation building. Yet it is justified, with the quintet’s pop sensibilities similar to those of their esteemed comparisons. The uplifting throng of horns in ‘Pay It Back’, chanted finishing chorus and hand claps of ‘Open Up Our Eyes’, and driving piano and rapid lyrics of ‘The Axiom’ all contribute to such an appraisal. A rapid lyrical ability seems a strength of Epstein also, with a true highlight formed from his ‘fit as many syllables into a short space’ style on ‘Black Hole’. Along with the tune’s clever stop/start structure, and the always-appealing choir of “da da das” toward its end, ‘Black Hole’ is the kind of number you don’t forget too soon – though it is ‘Open Up Our Eyes’ that provides the sing-along favourite.

The Silent Years are strong because they are clever. Their latest work in The Globe shows a band that is willing to experiment with the wildest of ideas, yet still create pieces that reflect a more traditional approach. Not unlike an optimistic version of The National, the result is something that can throw pleasurable shocks without losing momentum, or becoming even the slightest bit predictable. With its sing-along lyricism and lively beat, The Globe is an album that lives up to that old cliché: it’ll soon have you coming back for more. Summer or no summer.