Review Summary: Well, kids, when you assume you "make an ass out of me and u." I was wrong.
"This Is How The Wind Shifts" seemed like a peak of Silverstein's abilities, to me, circa two years ago. I naturally assumed that with a release that strong, that heartfelt and impassioned, they would hit a wall. Well, kids, when you assume you "make an ass out of me and u." I was wrong. I wasn't slightly wrong or even a little wrong. I was dead wrong.
From start to finish "I Am Alive In Everything I Touch" excels. Still, before I extol it's virtues, let me be clear, it is not without flaws. For instance, "A Midwestern State of Emergency" was lackluster. That is, it's only an average song for Silverstein, which is to say a well above average song for the genre. But, that's my biggest gripe: The biggest single issue is that the album is traditionally Silverstein. It is a creature of its genre. You won't hear any crazy experimental sounds. You won't hear any soulful, obscure Kanye-eque samples. You definitely won't hear some god awful fusion of Metalcore and Rap. I'm looking at you Falling In Reverse. But, if you're trying to dip your toe in the post-hardcore, metalcore waters, you aren't really looking for those elements anyway.
Essentially, this albums has everything I look for in this genre and everything I expect from this band. It has those jarring riffs, it has the soaring vocals, it has sing-a-long moments, it has layered themes, lyrically and musically. Listening to "I Am Alive In Everything I Touch," what you will hear is the tightest, most structurally sound album of Silverstein's now long and fruitful career. This record is shocking. It shows a growth from its authors. It shows a maturing of sound, lyrical theme, and of expression. It ebbs and flows even better than its predecessor. It creates a dramatic atmosphere and compels the listener to listen to the whole album, in sequential order. That's rare. I mean, it is possible to listen to one track over and over, but you'd lose the effect the band was going for. It grabs you with the ethereal tones of "Toronto (abridged)" and does not let go until you hear the companion sounds in "Toronto (unabridged)" of the Humber River, and you feel you have undergone a transformative process.
I'm not sure if this is the most compelling album I have heard from this band or from the genre as a whole, but I am sure of one thing: I loved this album. It was a pleasure to listen to, and it has been a pleasure to grow alongside Silverstein over the last eight years I have been a fan. I bet if over a decade ago someone told me that Silverstein would be making BETTER records than "Discovering the Waterfront" I would have laughed at you and told that that you're delusional. Well, to reiterate, I was wrong. Frankly, I am amazed at how they have evolved, grown, and become a gem amidst a sea of derivative, rehashed, uninspired crap.
In short, these five gentlemen are professionals. Music is not what they do for funsies, on the weekend, part-time, until their real dream pans out. No. They are professional musicians, full of inspiration, full of new, interesting, dynamic ideas. Check this one out. I cannot see how one could possibly be disappointed.
Recommended Tracks:
"Face of the Earth" Buried at Sea"
"Late on the 6th"
"Continual Condition"
"Desert Nights"
"Je me Souviens"
Ah, hell. The whole damn album.
