Sound: From an Australian rock group who have sold more than 6 million records worldwide, have spawned at least one top 3 single from each of their albums, and have had each of their albums achieve the top spot on the Australian charts, the pressure imposed on the New South Wales group whilst creating Young Modern was unspeakably immense. Having broke into the music scene at the young age of 14, Silverchair’s debut album, Frogstomp, reached the number one position in the Australian charts within a mere three weeks. From then on Silverchair were propelled into rock stardom recording another three hit albums before their latest effort, Young Modern, which broke two records upon its release: making Silverchair the first band ever to have an album chart at number one on iTunes through pre-orders before the album’s release, and making Silverchair the first Australian band ever to receive five number one albums. Young Modern sees the band take a more experimental turn whilst still maintaining their classic Silverchair rock sound. Opening track “Young Modern Station” is a straight up rock song which can only be described as Silverchair at their best. Following on from the strong start of the album the first single “Straight Lines” sees a catchy, radio friendly piano driven ballad which is guaranteed to stay stuck in your head, much like a piece of chewing gum caught in some poor sod’s hair. Silverchair do well to keep interest with songs like “If You Keep Losing Sleep” which sees the band make use of jazzy orchestral arrangements, funky bass lines, and thumping drumming. The song is definitely one of the best off the album, with a catchy chorus and interesting instrumentals which can only be described as James Bond with a Charlie and the Chocolate Factory twist. // 8
Lyrics and Singing: With such interesting backing tracks, it is sometimes hard to pry yourself away from the instrumentals in order to catch the lyrical side of the album. But this is not to say that the lyrics themselves aren’t interesting and meaningful. “Mind Reader”, an up tempo track with lyrics such as “Still it seems funny; Stickin’ like honey; Wrote my own article; Now I’m hummin’; She takes pictures through my lazy eyes; And I’m dreamin’ girl it’s your money” gives an entertaining take on the frustration of knowing what your “girl” wants. Aside from the amusing lyrics, Daniel Johns proves he is able to write meaningful lyrics as well. On closing track “All Across The World” he sings, “All across the world; There are things we need to forget and forgive; Sometimes we have to try and she'd the damage we don’t need; Oh justice shake your head; I’m wasting my time”, touching upon the problems of today. // 8
Impression: Full of jazzy twists and funky bass lines, Young Modern is like no other record the band has ever done. A fun album to listen to, the fifth effort from the Australian chart topping group succeeds in maintaining interest throughout most of the album although, like any other record these days, fillers like “Waiting All Day” treat you to a slice of boredom. Although a fine listen, it is easy to see why some fans of Silverchair may not agree with such an experimental and different album. The orchestral arrangements are thoroughly enjoyable to listen to, although after a while they may seem a bit over-the-top and trying. For a band with rocking hits such as “Freak” and “Anthem for the Year 2000”, this album does seem a little less -rocky and a little more- cheesy at points. Apart from this, even if the album does isolate some old fans, on the whole it is the type of record that would appeal to a wider audience. // 8
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