Silverchair
April 23, 2007
Despite everything people keep telling me, Silverchair still exists.
The post-grunge Australian rock group is all but dead. “Young Modern,” the band’s fifth number one album (in Australia) was released on March 31. The problem is: I am too old and sentimental to enjoy it.
Daniel Johns, the band’s frontman, isn’t the angry 15-year-old he once was. His trademark strained and painful vocals are replaced by a lighter more androgynous sound. There are remnants, but when he tries to hit his old marks he fails. Songs like “Insomnia” and “Waiting All Day” would be much better if they were performed by a younger Johns.
Out of 11 songs, I only slightly liked the title track, “Young Modern Station.” I had high hopes when I downloaded this one. It sounded like Silverchair, and the album art said it was. Three minutes and 11 seconds later, I found out it was a lie. It may have been my high hopes for the album but it just doesn’t stack up when compared to their past work.
“Neon Ballroom” is pretty much my favorite album of all time. I love every song on it; it’s powerful and moody and flows perfectly. The mixture of orchestra, drums and classic grunge guitar work are the most polished in Ballroom. Seven years later, they kept the orchestra but lost the grunge entirely for “Young Modern.”
Download “Young Modern Station.”
…Or just buy “Neon Ballroom.”