The Silent Boys - Beauty Tips

Having studied the list of the Silent Boys' influences on their press release, which read like of who's who of classic indie bands past and present, I was expecting something quite wonderful to come out of the speakers. Maybe the expectation was too high or maybe I wasn't quite in the mood for their interpretation of their (and in some cases my) favourite bands, but I was left a little disappointed. In truth, however, this isn't a bad record; it just isn't quite what I'd hoped. Things started promisingly enough with the opening guitar splash of 'Stepping Stones', which is reminiscent of a less harsh Adorable while the vocal is an acceptable cross between the laconic drawl of an early Brilliant Corners era Davey Woodward, a fey delivery favoured by cited influences such as Felt and the Field Mice, and (hardly surprising, in view of the band being from the U.S.) Michael Stipe. The songs are pretty catchy too, with enough hooks to grab your initial attention, but annoyingly and in direct contradiction to the indie-pop ethos of short, sharp bursts of disposable pop, they drag on to average out at a whopping 5 minutes a piece! Good value for money, sure, but it certainly detracts from the beauty of each song; indeed 'Neil Young' clocks in at nearly 7 minutes, with the last 2 minutes being taken up by singer, Wallace Dietz, repeating Neil Young in various different ways for no apparent good reason! In some quarters these criticisms will appear harsh, a bit like heaping scorn on your kid brother's first crayon drawings.Don't get me wrong I'd love to be talented enough to be in an indie band (even this one), but rules are rules and the Silent Boys have over stepped the mark. On the plus side there is some typically twee name dropping. Jack Kerouac, Burt Bacharach and even the delicious Audrey Hepburn all get a mention, but even this seems somewhat dated now. The bizarre thing is that each of these songs would really stand out on an indie compilation and leave you wanting to investigate the band further, but together they are too much with the guitar sounding more like a piercing chime than a warm jangle as the album wears on. Certainly worth a listen for any indie-pop fan, but, as much as I would like to, I could not fall in love with this band; not on the strength of this album. I'd be more than agreeable to meet it for a drink though......maybe even the odd one night stand!

Track Listing:-

1 Stepping Stones
2 Shades of Blue
3 The Sandman
4 AM Radio
5 The Boy Who Wouldn't Give In
6 The Gift
7 Neil Young
8 Another Lifeless Soul
9 Audrey Hepburn's Beauty Tips