Silian Rail

Parhelion

Written by: DR on 05/02/2011 23:17:45

Before I can divert my attention to 2011, there are some 2010 releases that need clearing out. Starting with Silian Rail, a duo consisting of Robin Landy on guitar, and Eric Kuhn on drums, foot synth and glockenspiel from Bay Area, California, USA. They are no average basement-band though, having already shared the stage with Maserati, French Miami, From Monument to Masses and most notably Caspian.

Silan Rail are an entirely instrumental act, and despite having 'only' two members, have managed to develop their sound to compensate for this with often textured soundscapes that waste little time in quiet, or acknowleding their (assumed) influences in the likes of This Town Needs Guns, And So I Watch You From Afar, 65daysofstatic and most likely the emo/indie movement of the 90s. "Parhelion" is their sophomore album, and it's not hard to hear it. It doesn't sound like a debut, it sounds like a band who are confident in their approach to constructing songs, using their influences to help shape them but not define them. The tempo-shifts are one of the most impressive aspects of this album, "The Gift" is an example of their ablility to interchange between the quiet/loud dynamic seamlessly, without it being forced and without boring the listener.

Although they do nothing wrong and much right, throughout many listens of this album I have never had to stop what I'm doing to fully recognize just how awe-inspiring a song or any particular aspect of their music is. While nobody could accuse Silian Rail of being dull or lifeless, you may struggle to accuse them of being spectacular. They lay somewhere in between; vocals would really help in this respect, giving another layer to their sometimes thin textures, as certain songs aren't quite strong enough to hold up on their own. Good background music for the time-being, but little more.

7

Download: The Gift, Maps And Mazes
For The Fans of: And So I Watch You From Afar, Castevet, This Town Needs Guns
Listen: Myspace

Release Date July 2010
Parks And Records

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