Indie rock stalwarts Silkworm return with yet another record, and I dare say
their finest since Joel Phelps left after the excellent Libertine. Rather than
breaking any new ground on this release, Silkworm refine the style that they have
crafted over the past 10 years.
Their songwriting has matured to new levels though unfortunately there are
no songwriting credits on the disc. "Slave Wages" and "Treat the New Guy Right" are
two of the most upbeat Silkworm songs ever. "Wages" is an extremely catchy pop song
with a spiraling guitar riff that laments the working class life; the latter song is
practically anthemic.
A cover of the Faces "Ooh La La" (as recently revived on the Rushmore
soundtrack) rocks out the end of the disc before the mellow "The Bones," with
abstract lyrics that could perhaps serve as a eulogy to 1990's indie rock.
"That's Entertainment" strikes me as a thinly-veiled rewriting of Libertine's
"Grotto of Miracles" (always my favorite Silkworm song)--a slow dirgy bassline over
which Andy Cohen's solos in a manner similar to Neil Young's "Cortez the Killer". A
great song rewritten into a mediocre one, maybe it would have been best to let things
lie.
This isn't a retro record by any means; it is simply a testament of a great
band that has developed their sound over their career. When listening to this record, I
am transported back several years to smokey clubs, in the days before Belle and
Sebastian and electronica, when guitar rock ruled the land. Had this record been
released five years ago it might be remembered as a classic indie rock record.
Instead, it will probably be remembered as one of indie rock's best dying breaths.
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