New Orleans combo
Silver Synthetic's self-titled debut album is a treat for fans of loose-limbed rock & roll with country-rock overtones and plenty of candy-sweet vocal harmonies. Made up of members of
BOTTOMFEEDERS and
JEFF the Brotherhood, the band dedicated themselves to making a live-feeling record with minimal overdubs and fuss, and that's exactly what they delivered. The group takes on various forms of straight-ahead good-time rock & roll and knocks each one into the bleachers. Chugging boogie rock ("Unchain Yr Heart"), easygoing
Beachwood Sparks-style rambling ("Around the Bend"), hypnotic rockers that somehow sound like a blend of
Tom Petty and
Neu! ("Out of the Darkness"), and twangling folk/rock ("Some of What You Want") nestle up nicely alongside achingly pretty ballads. Both "Chasm Killer" and "On the Way Home" conjure up thoughts of
Green on Red at their most restrained and tragic, while "Unholy Love" sways along with an admirable amount of tenderness. This is a well-rounded batch of songs that are powered by an entire guitar store's worth of merchandise -- jangling 12-strings, humming slides, fuzzy leads, and chugging rhythm -- and made special by the sharpness of the hooks and the warmth of the vocals. It's a killer combination that, when done right -- as
Silver Synthetic definitely do here -- can make even the most familiar approach sound fresh and exciting. ~ Tim Sendra
