'Sand' proves innovative
Anna Clay
Issue date: 4/17/09 Section: Arts & Entertainment
If you listened in on early Silverstein practices, you would have heard front man Shane Told singing and screaming lyrics from various magazines and books.
In 2000, before the Canadian band wrote lyrics to accompany their guitar chords and drum beats, the singer used anything lying around to read from which one day included Shel Silverstein's poetry book, "Where the Sidewalk Ends." The members discussed their childhood memories of the book, but quickly forgot about it until weeks later when they needed a name for the band. After much brainstorming, the book was noticed and Silverstein was agreed on.
Since then, the band found its own lyrics and created four full-length albums as well as two EPs and a compilation record. The members have toured all over and been part of major lineups for Van's Warped Tour, Bamboozle, Taste of Chaos in the United States, Give It a Name and Download Festival in the United Kingdom. They have worked hard and thrived on mostly word-of-mouth and nonstop touring. The band is often criticized for supposedly producing cliché post-hardcore music or is dismissed as being "just another unoriginal screamo group." However, if you listen closer, you will find that the band has a little more to offer than other bands in the genres it is often pushed into.
The band released its fourth LP March 31, "A Shipwreck in the Sand," that reveals some of the reasons Silverstein should not be completely overlooked. The vocals presented on the album are not just a series of incomprehensible screams. Unlike most bands that include screaming in their music, Silverstein's lead singer does both the singing and the yelling. This seems to keep the screaming from being overdone since Told needs to protect his voice. His lyrics can be deciphered and "A Shipwreck in the Sand's" lyrics are important to follow. The record is not full of simply emotional rants - instead it tells a story, which is what makes the album really standout.
"A Shipwreck in the Sand" is not completely straightforward. There is an obvious plot about a lover who cheated on the narrator, but much of the story is left up to the interpretation of the listener. Fans have entered discussion on the band's message board to present their different ideas, which proves that there is more depth in Silverstein's lyrics than straightforward angst-filled ramblings. The album is split into four chapters beginning with "It Burns Within Us All" that talks about a fire and the betrayal of a girl. This theme continues in chapter two, "Liars, Cheaters, and Thieves," which leads into "Fight Fire With Fire."
In 2000, before the Canadian band wrote lyrics to accompany their guitar chords and drum beats, the singer used anything lying around to read from which one day included Shel Silverstein's poetry book, "Where the Sidewalk Ends." The members discussed their childhood memories of the book, but quickly forgot about it until weeks later when they needed a name for the band. After much brainstorming, the book was noticed and Silverstein was agreed on.
Since then, the band found its own lyrics and created four full-length albums as well as two EPs and a compilation record. The members have toured all over and been part of major lineups for Van's Warped Tour, Bamboozle, Taste of Chaos in the United States, Give It a Name and Download Festival in the United Kingdom. They have worked hard and thrived on mostly word-of-mouth and nonstop touring. The band is often criticized for supposedly producing cliché post-hardcore music or is dismissed as being "just another unoriginal screamo group." However, if you listen closer, you will find that the band has a little more to offer than other bands in the genres it is often pushed into.
The band released its fourth LP March 31, "A Shipwreck in the Sand," that reveals some of the reasons Silverstein should not be completely overlooked. The vocals presented on the album are not just a series of incomprehensible screams. Unlike most bands that include screaming in their music, Silverstein's lead singer does both the singing and the yelling. This seems to keep the screaming from being overdone since Told needs to protect his voice. His lyrics can be deciphered and "A Shipwreck in the Sand's" lyrics are important to follow. The record is not full of simply emotional rants - instead it tells a story, which is what makes the album really standout.
"A Shipwreck in the Sand" is not completely straightforward. There is an obvious plot about a lover who cheated on the narrator, but much of the story is left up to the interpretation of the listener. Fans have entered discussion on the band's message board to present their different ideas, which proves that there is more depth in Silverstein's lyrics than straightforward angst-filled ramblings. The album is split into four chapters beginning with "It Burns Within Us All" that talks about a fire and the betrayal of a girl. This theme continues in chapter two, "Liars, Cheaters, and Thieves," which leads into "Fight Fire With Fire."
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