Silverleaf is a newly formed slowcore band from Scotland. They have all known each other through different bands and musical projects in the past and decided during lockdown to finally form a group together. They take great inspiration from acts such as Duster, Slowdive and Sonic youth, and like to blend the more somber aspects of slowcore and dreampop with noise sections and harsh feedback on their release Shallow Tides.
This album was recorded and produced in their homes/rehearsal space, all onto cassette. The band admits “The album is a very lo-fi and a primitive capsule of our early stages as a band.” I have to agree. This is a very lo-fi release and the fidelity does remind me of practice tapes I would make in the ’90s using a couple of tape players. They begin with “Shopping List” and the mood is certainly in place. I liked the energy which does have a slowcore type quality. There are vocals which are basically whispered. I could barely notice when he was singing. The song does have some rocking moments despite this issue. Up next is “French Press” and it goes deeper into the slowcore genre. I was slightly reminded of the band Low, especially their early years. After a quick interlude called “Cum Eskimos Skip Forever” (Interlude)” which sounds like a recorder gone wild, the band arrives at “Nuclear Family.” The song is so lo-fi the vocals were tripping me out. I didn’t know if this was a singer or just a sample. Then we get to “Hypersomnia (Synthporn)” and the fidelity is enhanced exponentially. I’m not sure exactly what they did but this song sounds much better than any of the previous songs. I liked the groove but was missing lead vocals. There are vocals but they are so smothered in reverb they don’t feel like a focal point. They go to extremely lo-fi on “Killing the Moon.” “Gaslighting McQueen (Part One)” and “Gaslighting McQueen (Part Two)” move like molasses and showcase some of their signature sound. There are heavy guitars and drums with sounds menacing and dangerous. I loved that aspect. The most obvious thing to discuss is the recording quality. The band has some talent and skill but in order to compete with more seasoned artists in this genre their fidelity will have to improve. I look forward to hearing more from the band as they unlock their potential.
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
|