Essentially an outlet for Mike Feuerstack's talent for writing pastoral compositions, Snailhouse is an atmospheric blend of quiet reflectiveness and poppy melody. While the tracks could certainly have been recorded in the vein of an open mic solo-acoustic artist, Feuerstack's penchant for electric guitar encourages him to back up his performance with a full band. The quartet of supporting musicians, however, do not overstep their boundary; as the title suggests, the CD remains on the quiet side - even with a few tracks breaking this rule.
Opening with the title track, The Silence Show promises to remain tactfully composed throughout the album. The aforementioned pastoral sound derives mostly from the guitar work in tracks such as "The Silence Show," "Don't Blame Me," and "Chimney Sweep," where chord voicings seem to be nearly as expressive as Feuerstack's lyrics. The tranquil sound of Feuerstack's voice on the beautiful "Mermaids" is possibly the highlight of the album vocally. The poppier tracks encouragingly stray from conventional formulas, as seen through "Makeshift Family," which benefits from its time signature changes. As previously mentioned, Feuerstack is very successful in controlling his supporting band to keep his songs in the gloomy mood that they were obviously written in, such as the standout "Chimney Sweep" or "Thirty-Three," which hilariously touts the working title of "Reign in Blood" inside the CD lyric sheet. This gloomy mood is perhaps so successful because of the passive dissonance that is so important to this album.
With a few tracks that don't quite fit with the others on the CD and a short overall run time, The Silence Show leaves the listener wanting more - in the best way possible. Several tracks will certainly call for many repeat listens.
