Review Summary: Aussie Favourites Make there first album in 5 years. And It's Well worth The Wait
"I guess what we're trying to do is make a big album, something like U2 would do."-Daniel Johns, Rolling Stone January 2007.
I read that qoute with interest the first time i saw it. And when i heard "Straight Lines" I thought it would be true. Young Modern's First track "Young Modern Station" even has similarities to "Zoo Station" off the irish classics 1992 album Achtung Baby (Not just the name). To My surprise i looked in the liner notes for Young Modern, Silverchairs first album since 2002's Diorama, and saw that Daniel Johns had thanked Bono. But after having listened to Young Modern i see that Silverchair have once again created there own unique sound.
Every album Silverchair has made since 1995's Frogstomp has been a departure from there last album. 1997's Freak Show saw there first ballad, Cemetery, and featured Sitars & violins. 1999's Neon Ballroom was an even bigger step with Aussie Dance artist Paul Mac featured for the first time. Then came Diorama, where silverchair lost old fans and gained new fans and sharing a new status with Powderfinger as the best and most important Aussie Band since Acca Dacca (AC/DC for non-aussies).
So it's no surprise that Young Modern is a change yet again. More Keyboards, Guitar & Paul Mac. Opener "Young Modern Station" is a cracker tune, with less melody than you would expect from The Chair. Daniel Johns sings lines like "I'm So sick of Getting Sicker" over Ben Gillies Awesome drumming & Chris Joannous thumping bass. First single "Straight Lines" is only Silverchairs 3rd #1 single in Australia (Tomorrow & Freak also topped the charts) and you can see why. It's an epic track starting with Paul playing a synth line with Daniel's typical Vocal acrobatics then it begins to rock out & into an uplifting chorus. 3rd track "If You keep losing sleep" is as weird, if weirder, as anything My Chemical Romance have done recently. Genre Hopping all over the place it goes from weird to weirder.
2nd single "Reflections Of A Sound" is nothing groundbreaking like the 1st and 3rd tracks but is insanely catchy. Next up is the epic 3 parter "Those Thieving Birds (Part 1) / Strange Behaviour / Those Thieving Birds (Part 2)" The thieving bird parts are soft violin laced tinklers that sound like something off of Diorama, but the middle piece is a Funky pop song. "The man who knew to Much" is not unlike "Strange Behaviour" with it's funky rythym section. Obviously Ben Gillies love of the Funk has rubbed off onto Young Modern.
"Waiting All Day" is like "Reflections" with Daniel Johns sharing the songwriting credit with backing musician Julian Hamilton. "Mind Reader" has been described to me as Elton John on Acid. Hmmm. That's Debatable. It's a glam rock song, which moves into an almost Rolling Stones like Chorus. "Low" sounds like Geoge Harrison and starts off well but moves into a broing verse and chorus. It's not disimilar to something that The Sleepy Jackson would do.
Speaking of which. Luke Steele from TSJ features on "Insomnia" a song about, you guessed it, Insomnia. Slightly like Mind Reader and is another lower point. Closer "All Across The World" sounds like another Diorama track with some weird backing vocals in the chorus.
It's so good to have silverchair back that it's damn near impossible to pick up on the bad things on Young Modern.
As Daniel says in "Young Modern Station" :
'The Band Is Back, Allergic & In The News'
Pros:
Well, silverchair just in general are a pro.
Straight Lines
Mind Reader
Young Modern Station
Paul Mac & Julian Hamilton
Cons:
It's been to long!!!
Bit boring towards the end.
