Silverchair - Young Modern
(2007)

Review by Sean Lynch

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From the very moment that Straight Lines hit the airways, it was almost a foregone conclusion that die-hard Silverchair fans would be turning in their yet-to-be-dug graves, and music reviewers would be soiling their shorts with anticipation upon the release of Silverchair's first LP in over four years.

First things first - this is no Silverchair album. This is an out-and-out Daniel Johns project with some built in franchise marketing behind it. It's been well documented that "Diorama" was originally intended to be a Johns solo project (however, the record company refused to sign him as a solo artist in order to keep the Silverchair brand name a viable commodity), and one kind of gets the feeling that this may have the same scandal behind it. Something which Johns recently hinted at mentioning that two thirds of the album was already written by the time Wave Aid came along and sparked his interest in working with his old band mates once again.

From the opening moments of "Young Modern", you get the distinct feeling that this is in fact "The Dissociatives: Mark 2". Paul Mac is on board as the fourth member of the historical trio - while fellow Dissociatives band member Julian Hamilton (one of the ultra cool Presets boys) helped with the writing of Straight Lines. However, that's not a band thing - because this is one kick arse (if not slightly manic and wacked out) album.

Young Modern Station merges elements from 'The Chairs' most progressive albums in "Neon Ballroom", "Diorama" and "The Dissociatives" to make the transition into the "Young Modern" universe much easier for all those who will seem somewhat hesitant to enter Johns' vastly different and wacky musical world.

This is quickly followed up by Straight Lines, easily the most accessible pop track on the album - and quite possibly the most enjoyable Aussie pop track in the last decade. It's one of those songs that you can listen to endlessly and never become weary of it's muted epic nature.

Next up is the steroid induced mutated cousin of Across The Night, Thinking In Reverse, For The Benefit of Mr Kite and anything that came from the warped mind of Tim Burton in the awesomely-stupid-fun-epic If You Keep Losing Sleep. While it may bemuse many, it is one of the best things to come out of "Young Modern" for mine.

What follows from here is a very cool, very new sound from a band which has paved the way for Aussie artists for over a decade. It will honestly have crowds torn. Admittedly, there are times on the album you wish you could pull John's aside and just say "Mate, you sound like a dickhead - use that voice of yours and stop fucking up a potentially great song" (most notably on Mind Reader). But there are times you simply need to sit back and go - "Look, that's a massive risk - but your pulling it off. This is awesome".

There are numerous nods to the previous incarnations of Silverchair which seems to be a long forgotten and distant memory, there's some wicked Lennon/Harrison guitar work on Low, while All Across The World is desperately trying to get the nod to be the next song on the latest Bond flick.

This isn't Silverchair. So for many, this isn't the return of the Messiah everyone is hoping. But for those who appreciate the evolution of music - and don't own an album by The Fray, Nickelback or Hinder - this is very likely the only album you'll need to buy for the next two years.

RATING: 4.5 out of 5