Tag: 2008

“They may look Libertinous, but Silvery’s take on Albion is awash with giddily yelped eccentricities. Pitched somewhere between the car-nival cacophony of early Mr Bungle and Blur at their most whirlingiy weird, this is a wonky debut, but a winning one nonetheless.”

“On the evidence of the eccentric, lurching rhythms, whirring fairground-style organ, strident falsetto vocals and infectious chorus of the single ‘Devil in the Detail’, London’s Silvery seem more than happy to wear the influence of Kimono My House-era Sparks like a shiny button on their uniformed sleeves. And its a sound which crops up on other tracks, most notably on ‘Action Force’ and ‘Star of the Sea. Elsewhere, the influence of Blur becomes particularly apparent, as well as hints of early Adam and the Ants, Cockney Rebel, XTC and possibly even in respect of the band’s infatuation with Victoriana and uniforms, British Sea Power. However, much as I’d like to say that Silvery draw all of these influences together into a sound which is uniquely their own, that clearly isn’t true. But as Billy Childish might possibly have said, ‘Originality is an overrated virtue’, and the fact remains that this is a wonderfully ebullient album of � perhaps self consciously � eccentric, quirkily catchy, organ-led Brit Pop with singalong choruses aplenty.”

“Silvery’s aural assault on my neurological pathway nearly gave me a brain haemorrhage. After what seems like a lifetime of listening to bread-and-butter indie bands, my brain had turned to a fine mush and was not prepared for the vivid tapestry of psychedelic pop that bounds from this debut album. Silvery’s eccentric organ-led pop is quintessentially British with more than a nod to David Bowie, a wink to Syd Barrett and a wave to XTC. The sheer intensity of the music throughout the album can leave you feeling mentally drained and a little bit insane come the curtain call, but it is worth the trip.”

“London quartet Silvery unleash their peculiar debut long player, a rollercoaster ride through eccentric English indie pop. Their sound is focused around a sinister fairground organ, the band delivering a slice of theatrical, music hall tinged indie pop. Previous single ‘Horrors’ opens the show with a one minute forty four second introduction to Silvery’s world, that organ casting up memories of trips to the carnival, equal parts excitement and glances over the shoulder. Sticking with the classic rules of songwriting, most tracks barely reach the three-minute mark with the few four-minuters sounding like epics. An individual debut evoking, yet sounding unlike any of, their influences and a band to get rather excited about.”

“Coming on like a runaway circus carousel, Silvery play dynamic pulsating blasts of fuzz pop topped with a simul-taneously queasy and creepy fairground organ. The London based four-piece have been plying their theatrical live show around the UK and Europe and have captured the energy and drama perfectly on their debut, the majesti-cally titled Thunderer & Excelsior’. As singer James Orman expands, “”It’s been a labour of love making sure this album is exactly as we wanted it, but not to lose what our admirers have been bopping to at the live shows.”” Their eccentric English pop originates from the same place as those previous celebrated mavericks Sparks, XTC and ‘Modern Life Is Rubbish’ era Blur but with a surplus of ideas packed into each track, many of which come in well under the three-minute mark. Listening to their music, you’re transported to Victorian London amid soot-faced urchins, working girls in petticoats and decadent gentle-men in their finery while Jack the Ripper stalks by, a red satin lined cloak drawn around his anonymous features. If a band were ever to record a concept album about Whitechapel in the 1800s it’d be Silvery, and a damn fine job they’d make of it, dizzying narratives entwined with their elastic snakes and ladders pop music.”

“Drawing comparisons to early Sparks, Londoner’s Silvery play unashamed pop. Not the kind that goes, ‘Oooh there’s a girl and I love her, she has the same pencil case as me”” -not that kind of poppycock. No, it’s the kind of pop that goes, “”Yeah, I see you over there, you wanna dance? I wanna dance, so let’s dance god damnit’.””Horrors’ and ‘Devil in the Detail’ are blustery little gems that rush in like a tornado swallowing a Wurlitzer and a collection of barnyard animals. It’s the sound of the cast of the Carry On films starring in the Mighty Boosh. Psychedelic pop, the demented ‘Warship Class’ bounces backwards and forward like a madcap Blur during their ‘Great Escape’ era.Theatrical Organ parts, the stumbling vocals, the fuzz guitar, it’s all a mess of influences and arcade game melodies. ‘Star of The Sea’ is a tormented sea shanty bubbling under foamy bass notes, tidal wave riffs and whirling organ sounds. It’s a dizzy circus freak-out -if you need any proof look no further than ‘Revolving Sleepy Signs’. It’s mental and it rocks.”

“Apparently, Silvery are “”not afraid to play very fast and not afraid to play very slow””, but in truth even the slower material here is high-octane and completely bonkers. During my first listen to Thunderer & Excelsior, in the car on the school run, my daughter said, “”They sound like circus music,”” and I know exactly what she means. You can almost imagine Silvery chasing each other around and throwing custard pies or swinging from a trapeze without a safety net. Silvery’s music comes from a lost world somewhere between Sparks and XTC. Everything here is eccentric, theatrical and hook-laden psychedelic pop with loud, raucous choruses and arrangements that are perhaps the aural equivalent of eating fluorescent candyfloss. The quirky fairground punk of debut hit single,’Horrors’, is a cacophony of lifting guitars and swirling organ and is gone before you have time to take it in. It’s like punk meeting glam-rock in a celebration of brevity. ‘Devil In The Detail’ allows itself the luxury of a guitar solo and a repeated bridge verse before Silvery rush off over the brow of the nearest hill singing la la la la’ as they go slightly mad. Only thing is, they keep returning, for another thirteen songs with aliens and dead mice amongst the subject matter. Get used to the madness because Silvery could be around for a very longtime.”

“Madcap Londoner’s make an arty racket. Any band who claim inspiration from both Victorian London and The X-Files are likely to be more than a little eccentric, and so it proves with Silvery. Citing Sparks and Blur among their musical influences, the four-piece specialise in a kind of vaudevillian Britpop that throws down musical gimmickry in spades. Their debut is a riotous whirl of crunching guitars, clattering drums, plinky piano and falsetto vocals, all underpinned by a fairground organ line. The myriad elements come together wonderfully on The Nishikado, though over a whole albu m such exuberance wears thin.”