Hard to pin a label on, The Silent League write a perform songs that cross, and indeed ignore genres. The instruments may be those usually associated with rock music, but the way they use the instruments and the rhythms and timbre are more often found in classical music while the themes and presentations of the songs are sort of a folk music with orchestration. Billing themselves as a post-rock, chamber pop band, they hail from Brooklyn. The band released their debut album in 2004 titled, The Orchestra, Sadly, Has Refused. It met with critical acclaim, being heralded by The Guardian, The Times Independent, Rolling Stone, and many other music venues as wonderful and as “the great hope” of the music scene.
This is their second release from 2007, being rereleased as a “Special Edition” and including an alternate version of "Before You Started" (re-thought by Max Lichtenstein of Camphor fame) and remixes by Nitemoves (Com Truise) and Matt Henderson (Fitness Club Fiasco).
The album is a mix of neo psychedelia, space pop symphonies, synthesizer driven and chamber pop. The remixes work very well, presented with less orchestral pieces and more synth they come of, if not exactly head banger rock, a more pop rock sound.
A more descriptive name for the band might be The Invisible league, as they keep doing a vanishing act. They release a highly praised album, tour to rave reviews and enthusiastic crowds, then disappear. They appear to be an on-again/off-again relationship between a collective of musicians interested only in periodically making records, playing shows, and disappearing again. This may be true as nobody in New York ever seems quite sure whether or not the band still exists. Formed by Justin Russo (then keyboardist for Mercury Rev during the classic Deserter's Songs/All is Dream era) they draw a lot of attention when they grace the music worl with their presence. And the band’s music is well worth waiting for as it soars with a kind of melancholy genius and a neo-psychedelic wonderment. It’s stunningly fresh, and a thing of musical beauty. You just wish they wouldn’t wait so long between albums.
Released on Dec 6th, just in time for Christmas, you can get the album and select tunes from iTunes, or download it from Amazon by following the links above.
Copyright © 2011 Robert Carraher All Rights Reserved
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