Since the mid-2010s, I have noticed that there have been a considerable amount of American bands hybridizing two very different styles of early '90s rock music: grunge and shoegaze. Whereas grunge spawned from Seattle, WA, the origins of shoegaze (or shoegazing, as it was originally known) came from either the UK or Ireland. While there were some modest “grunge-gaze” successes before the age of streaming, their sounds either leaned towards the grunge part or the “gaze” part. Ultimately, this meant that a band like Catherine Wheel were labeled as shoegaze whereas a band like Hum were lumped in with grunge.
Unlike the past generation, however, the modern wave of grunge-gaze bands (i.e. Superheaven, Teenage Wrist, Narrow Head, etc.) blurs the lines between grunge and shoegaze much more than it has ever been done before. Siilk is definitely one of those bands. A ‘90s grunge nostalgia act subconsciously rooted in shoegaze, these Kansas City, MO rockers deliver the goods with their first set of tracks. The six songs from their self-titled debut EP Siilk were all produced, recorded and mixed by Justin Mantooth at Westend Recording Studios, with mastering done by Mike Nolte. I’ve got to say, as much as the band deserves praise for sounding this tight, these guys definitely deserve credit for the EP’s sleekness as well. “Worms” immediately establishes the big wall of sound that the band is going for. This track, like many others, is thick with waves of distorted, sustained power chords. The vocals may be a tad too buried in the mix throughout, but the chorus to “Worms” is remarkably pretty alongside rich bass lines and brawny drums. “Stagnant” continues the trend of crunchy guitars swelling with reverb. Unlike “Worms,” though, this one is faster, shorter, and more Nirvana-esque than what comes before it, featuring a rhythm reminiscent of Nirvana’s biggest hit, “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” “Pulling me in” may just be the heaviest (and best) of the six songs Siilk has to offer on their debut, with its crushing atmosphere, drop C tuning, and, at times, unclean vocals. I’d argue that the tones it presents are the closest they get to sounding like nu metal, a genre that Siilk claims they were slightly influenced by. The melancholy of “Pulling me in” bleeds into “Reveal // Renew,” launching into more Teenage Wrist-like melodies mixed with echoes of grunge. At this point of the EP, Siilk expands on this combination of grunge and shoegaze a little bit with “Moonraker.” It begins with a brief drum machine beat and ends with samples of some movie dialogue. While I’m well aware that this EP is only their first offering, a lot of songs sound the same. It would be nice to have some more variation. Finally, it closes off with a song called “Serene” that starts out gentle but gets louder and grittier later on and showcases lots of angsty lyrics. With Siilk, distortion and reverb are definitely the band’s calling card. Jordan Tyler’s vocals aren’t all that unique, even for grunge-gaze, but he more than makes up for it with his superb work on lead guitar. On one hand, for those who expect something more than the standard grunge-gaze template, Siilk won’t always deliver. On the other hand, however, I have no doubt that those who do fall under this niche will very much enjoy what they have accomplished with this EP.
0 Comments
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
Critique/insightWe are dedicated to informing the public about the different types of independent music that is available for your listening pleasure as well as giving the artist a professional critique from a seasoned music geek. We critique a wide variety of niche genres like experimental, IDM, electronic, ambient, shoegaze and much more.
Are you one of our faithful visitors who enjoys our website? Like us on Facebook
Archives
May 2024
|