I went through phases listening to The Silent League's debut album, The Orchestra, Sadly, Has Refused. Intitially, The Silent League caught me with their pop music sounds: instantly accessible and rewarding, with no work involved. My next phase was a gut reaction to the album's '70s soft rock sound, and it made me want to pitch the CD out my Mercury Topaz's window. Eventually, I picked the album up off the ground and listened to it a few more times. Phase three: It's not that bad for an album I found in my driveway.
Justin Russo, who played with Mercury Rev, is the mastermind behind The Silent League. Filling out Russo's recording, about a million other people play on The Orchestra, Sadly, Has Refused. This army of musicians sound something like an orchestra. The album kicks in with some vocals and piano, but after a few tracks, the sound diversifies and expands. The guitars and piano are relaxing, introspective, and probably pretty good as make-out music, but they don't challenge the listener. The Silent League sticks to the pop, but they do it really well.
In fact, The Silent League sounds like another band with pop tendencies: The Flaming Lips. Think of The Soft Bulletin and you already know halfway what to expect. The Orchestra, Sadly, Has Refused sounds like a movie soundtrack, and evokes images and scenes from a movie no one ever made. It creates emotions and moods. Sometimes, Russo's voice comes out like a monologue in a musical drama, and sometimes the entire band jumps in to create the movement and action.
That's enough to give this album a chance, but don't expect it to change your life. The Silent League sounds pretty, but their gooey emotional stuff doesn't run very deep. The lyrics aren't going to blow away anybody except your little sister, and the music gets boring after a couple plays. I'm expecting the final phase of listening to The Orchestra, Sadly, Has Refused will involve gathering dust on my CD rack.
1. The Orchestra, Sadly, Has Refused
2. Goliath
3. The Catbird Seat
4. Time
5. Breathe
6. Motion Pictures
7. Glass Walls
8. Conversation
9. New Obsession
10. Linus
11. Hey You Hurray