The Silver Surfer - The Honestly EP

  by Olga Sladeckova

published: 22 / 6 / 2002

Label: Tryanosaurus Records
Format: CD

intro

"Fresh" sounding second album from Portland, Oregon indie-pop group with a chain of influences including the Pixies, the Beach Boys, the Jesus and Mary Chain, Blur and Ride

The Silver Surfer is a fresh new indie-pop band from Portland in Oregon. The musical roots of the group began to evolve in 1999 under the influence of bands such as the Pixies, the Beach Boys, the Jesus and Mary Chain, Blur and Ride. The band's sound has since drifted through a variety of styles and been through various changes. Since its formation, the Silver Surfer has released an eponymously-titled EP and two albums 'Curve Of Venus' and 'Honesty'. The latter album was released in 2001 on the band's own Tyranosaurus Records. The first self-titled track on 'Honesty' has a happy, direct sound and immediately grabs you with its rhythm. 'I can never change you, you can only change for you,' sings Ryan Carroll, the lead singer, while the music which has been created by keyboard, guitar, bass and rhythmical drums speeds up with an excitement that revives the spirit of the 60's. All the other songs on this mini album have a similar high tempered character and vitality. 'Joy Is A Carbo*cat*ion' is a case in point. The music flows with an energy that is lead by dense drumbeats. Ryan's voice enthusiastically follows the stream. Powerful and clever use of a synthesiser lifts many of the songs up. The synthesiser is used to help to broaden these songs' textures, but is never allowed to become dominant. A good example is the Pixies-influenced 'Hypnotune', which switches from instrumental discordance to a clearer and more modest tune in which the lyric is spotlighted. The album finishes calmly with 'Sideways Eight' in which the vocals fade away against a background of jingling guitar and soft drum beats. All the different influences that the Silver Surfer has gone through can not be denied, but I think that they haave something to be proud of with their music. Only you can decide whether you want to let the band surf its way to your musical taste. The choice is yours.

Track Listing:-