The Silence continue their
singular journey to known
and unknown places in the
musical universe on their
fifth album, Electric Meditations. On their second
record as a quartet, they
distill the expansive nature
of the original quintet into
a guitar-bass-and-drums
plus woodwinds combination, an especially rocking
sound from beginning to
end, which suits the new
songs.
"Tsumi To Warai"
opens the album with
simmering fury. The title
means 'sin and ridiculing',
which is The Silence's response to the demented
world around them. Away
from reality is the only reality that they can believe. The process of living in this world makes the most sense when
The Silence are at their instruments. Batoh and
Yamazaki's vocals are raw-edged and resolute
throughout. Pausing for barely a breath, they
burst into "Butterfly Blues." Jagged sax riffs,
rhythm guitars and surging bass and drums
erect a steel cage before us. Yoshida's flute
emerges as the butterfly in the heart of the
song, before an acid-lead takes the flight to
freedom.
"Meido Nisshi" means 'Hades diary.'
You were dead there once, and this is the
sound picture of yourself on the river, from
obsolesce to resurrection. From beyond,
you have returned again, in time for the
end of the world. A ringing acoustic
riff is joined by clarinet and flute
and the song slowly builds to
an apex of slow churning
rhythm, dizzily crowned
with fanning guitar
chords at the climax before fading away.
Recorded in an all-analog process at GOK Studios in Tokyo, the sounds
on Electric Meditations are
a measure of the The Silence's soul. The title track,
which drives for nearly
eight minutes off a deadly
two-chord riff, exemplifies
this quality, descending to
great depths and expanding immeasurably from
minimal to maximal, finding blues and hard rock
vibes in the process.
For "Improvisation," The Silence rely on
pure instinct-for them,
free means free, from all
thought and premeditation.
The music in their hands
determines itself. Chimes
lead us through reverbed darkness and desolation for some time, before tape-delayed
flute casts haunting shadows. Guitar, bass and
drum respond restively, rumbling in the darkness. Guitar passes into the delay as saxophone
calls pensively, suggesting a path forward as
drums thunder, which brings an end to the improvisation.
"I'm a Man" is inherently powerful, crazy
in its initial version. There have been many
versions since then, but The Silence simply
go back to the source materials and make
a slight tweak-upping the tempo, which
amps up the song's natural insanity and
sends a final message, bringing Electric
Meditations to a furious close amid
sheets of white noise and freaking
saxophone. In 2020, it's a chaotic world! It will always be. We
are grateful to have Electric
Meditations to help us retain the appropriate
perspective.
