Although SILT were previously virgin territory for your (down, boy!) excited reviewer - this EP's his first sighting of them - the Icelandic trio are actually four LPS old, and include prestigious BLUR supports and an outing with the Icelandic Symphony Orchestra in their fascinating CV.
Whatever, "In Line" itself is bloody marvellous: just the kind of spiky guitar outpouring that we love to enjoy like a hot spring round these parts.
With production assistance from MUSE collaborator PAUL REEVE, SILT are cut from their own strangely singular cloth and are capable of rocking with incredible fury when they so desire. HEIDAR (vocals/ guitar); RAGGI (bass) and drummer HALLI rarely take the obvious path, it must be said, but the results of their curious sonic excursions are frequently breathtaking.
Of the EP'S five tracks, "Throat" and "Lay Your Body Down" are crammed with ace ideas and impossible tempo changes, conjuring up the ghosts of superb US hardcore outfits like FIREHOSE, but it's the first three tracks that really stop you in your tracks.
|
Full of kinetic riffs and spooky, ELLIOTT SMITH -style vocals, "In Line" itself, mainlines pure adrenaline: angular and exciting like PLACEBO before the celebrity kicked in, but - amazingly - "Bus Stop and "The Walk" actually better it; "The Walk" switching from pretty dawn chorus guitar melodies to molten electric rage at the drop of a pixie's hat.
Suffused with all the enigmatic ingredients you'd hope exist within a band from such a distant, exotic land, SILT are undoubtedly one of Iceland's best ever exports. (9/10)
|
