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The Silent League, a sprawling group led by
sometime-Mercury Rev collaborator Justin Russo, have been
worryingly quiet of late. The unexplained hiatus since the release of
their critically lauded debut, The Orchestra, Sadly, Has Refused in
2005, had led to rumours of a split, and sightings of some of its
number appearing with alt-country staples like Calexico and
Beirut only added to the mystery of where this most beguiling
of chamber-pop groups had shuffled off to.
This first album, one of that year's unexpected gems, arrived on
these shores with little fanfare and precious little in-concert time.
This journalist was lucky to have seen a markedly slimmed down version
of the band play to a handful of people at London's Barfly, and it was
obvious then that, even without their stringed backing, these were a
pop group of rare majesty. While a whole country was going
batshit-crazy for the Arcade Fire's astonishing orchestral
bombast, here was a band delicately playing to many of the same rules
to a just as jaw-dropping level.
Luckily, it seems that instead of disappearing in puff of gorgeous
wafting smoke, they spent their break carefully honing their sound in
a mansion amid the mountains of upstate New York. The result, Of Stars
and Other Somebodies is an astonishingly polished record that both
echoes the great American artists of the 1970's and puts a whole new
slant on the 'orchestral pop' movement that appears to be currently
making a mini revival with bands like The Kissaway Trail and
The Cinematic Orchestra emptying everything but the kitchen
sink into their recording process.
Of Stars... seems a natural progression from their debut. They do
not try to reinvent themselves much – the same lush, multi-textured
sound is all-prevading - but this time around they've bolstered it
with more confident, boisterous melodies that should see them take the
step up from being cult favourites to commercial successes.
Album centrepiece Let it Roll is a plaintive, soaring number that
recalls Neil Young and George Harrison's Laurel Canyon
period - heartfelt, searingly personal and utterly gorgeous. The
moment the horns and backing vocals kick in will melt even the
frostiest heart, and the lyrics "You're too old for rock'n'roll and
too young to give up," are as jaded as the music is hopeful - a
timeless showstopper worthy of Brian Wilson at his finest.
Lead single Victim of Aeroplanes is a superb exercise in infectious
pop – starting out in much the same vein as The Arcade Fire's Keep the
Car Running, before suddenly segueing into a Flaming Lips-esque
joyous tub-thumper, engaging, catchy and stunningly ebullient. Kings
and Queens is suitably majestical - Russo using his experience as
Mercury Rev Keyboardist to good effect - the result is like Deserter's
Songs classic Goddess on a Hiway if Win Butler had recorded it, a
stunning mish-mash of elegant piano chords and throat-catching
euphoria indicative of a record that consistently surprises and
delights.
Of Stars... may not be to everyone's tastes - anybody suffering an allergic
reaction to the whimsical high-pitched voice of Mercury Rev's lead
singer Jonathan Donahue may want to look away now – Russo's vocals are
eerily similar to his occasional bandmate's. This should not really be
a barrier to enjoying the record - his are much more 'All Is Dream'
than the histrionics Donahue had succumbed to by last album The Secret
Migration - and it would be a shame if any prospective buyers were put
off by this association. This is a joy of a record, and one that
should be savoured by as many people as possible.
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