Travis Parno
01/27/08, 10:09 AM
The A-Sides - Silver Storms
Record Label: Vagrant Records
Release Date: September 18, 2007
For a society that has recently become enamored with lists and countdowns, The A-Sides’ Silver Storms can be added to the “Albums to Listen to on Repeat Forever” list.
These are soundtrack-of-your-life kind of tunes that sound at home in cities, suburbs, and rural backwaters. Their gentle reverberations are felt in random glints of sunshine and empty, windswept alleys. Silver Storms quietly accents the beauty of the everyday, the mundane instances of sheer perfection that people are usually too busy to notice. Graceful and sophisticated without becoming attenuated, this album is the best friend that makes the smooth transition into a lifelong lover.
As the first notes of Silver Storms crackle through their vinyl filter, it’s immediately a comfortable experience. An amiable atmosphere develops and while the sound is fresh, The A-Sides feel familiar, almost worn in. They’re the ten-year-old Levis in a world of crappy cheap brands and overpriced designer swag.
After a nineteen second instrumental opener, “Always in Trouble” begins down the road of congeniality. The track is dominated by talk of building farms where centers of commerce once stood, but it someone avoids preachy clichés in favor of sensible conversation. Rock has rarely sounded so comfortable in its own shoes. “Cinematic,” the obvious choice for a radio-friendly single, mixes convivial guitar pop with subtly complex vocal arrangements and a sugary chorus. The band then summons their best Dylan impression for “My Heroes Have Always Been Crazy,” a brilliantly sparse tribute to city mornings, quiet reflection, and the end of summer. Silver Storms concludes with four minutes of building drama that drip with strings and leave vocalist/guitarist Jon Barthmus’ echoed voice murmuring “We’re all sinking with the ship / We all taste the salt water on our lips / And we’re all sinking with the ship.” It’s amazing that even this sentiment can sound affable in the hands of The A-Sides.
Structurally, Silver Storms is ironclad. Though slightly overproduced in spots, each track shines with new threads of sincerity. Complaints could potentially be made about the band’s propensity for lengthy codas, but the “too much of a good thing” argument rings false – the diaphanous soundscapes form the foundation of the album’s lush environment.
The A-Sides are committed to providing their listeners with a genuinely good time and their's is an approach that should not be missed. Try Silver Storms. It’s time to relax and appreciate the idiosyncrasies that make life so wonderful.
Matt Pond PA stargazing with the cute girl next door while drinking herbal tea
myspace.com/theasides (http://www.myspace.com/theasides)
Record Label: Vagrant Records
Release Date: September 18, 2007
For a society that has recently become enamored with lists and countdowns, The A-Sides’ Silver Storms can be added to the “Albums to Listen to on Repeat Forever” list.
These are soundtrack-of-your-life kind of tunes that sound at home in cities, suburbs, and rural backwaters. Their gentle reverberations are felt in random glints of sunshine and empty, windswept alleys. Silver Storms quietly accents the beauty of the everyday, the mundane instances of sheer perfection that people are usually too busy to notice. Graceful and sophisticated without becoming attenuated, this album is the best friend that makes the smooth transition into a lifelong lover.
As the first notes of Silver Storms crackle through their vinyl filter, it’s immediately a comfortable experience. An amiable atmosphere develops and while the sound is fresh, The A-Sides feel familiar, almost worn in. They’re the ten-year-old Levis in a world of crappy cheap brands and overpriced designer swag.
After a nineteen second instrumental opener, “Always in Trouble” begins down the road of congeniality. The track is dominated by talk of building farms where centers of commerce once stood, but it someone avoids preachy clichés in favor of sensible conversation. Rock has rarely sounded so comfortable in its own shoes. “Cinematic,” the obvious choice for a radio-friendly single, mixes convivial guitar pop with subtly complex vocal arrangements and a sugary chorus. The band then summons their best Dylan impression for “My Heroes Have Always Been Crazy,” a brilliantly sparse tribute to city mornings, quiet reflection, and the end of summer. Silver Storms concludes with four minutes of building drama that drip with strings and leave vocalist/guitarist Jon Barthmus’ echoed voice murmuring “We’re all sinking with the ship / We all taste the salt water on our lips / And we’re all sinking with the ship.” It’s amazing that even this sentiment can sound affable in the hands of The A-Sides.
Structurally, Silver Storms is ironclad. Though slightly overproduced in spots, each track shines with new threads of sincerity. Complaints could potentially be made about the band’s propensity for lengthy codas, but the “too much of a good thing” argument rings false – the diaphanous soundscapes form the foundation of the album’s lush environment.
The A-Sides are committed to providing their listeners with a genuinely good time and their's is an approach that should not be missed. Try Silver Storms. It’s time to relax and appreciate the idiosyncrasies that make life so wonderful.
Matt Pond PA stargazing with the cute girl next door while drinking herbal tea
myspace.com/theasides (http://www.myspace.com/theasides)