Sometimes an album catches you a bit off-guard. Sometimes every second track on an album catches you off-guard. That’s certainly what happened with me on listening to Silver Tongues‘ “Black Kite”, but it’s cool: I like surprises.
Things get off to a great start with the album opener, “Highways”. I can’t be the only person who hears that big, two-chord drone and thundering percussion (read foot-stomping and hand-clapping) and thinks of Joy Division‘s “Atmosphere”. And when the first reaction to your album is to think of one of the best tracks of the past 40 years, I think you can justifiably chalk that up as a win. Still, before you’re even half-way through the track, the variety of influences starts to become apparent, with some CSN-worthy vocal harmonies creeping in over the top of the otherwise sparse arrangement.
Silver Tongues are a five-piece based out of Louisville, Kentucky, although the core of the band – brothers David (lead vocals, guitar and piano) and Brian (percussion and backing vocals) Cronin – are originally from Cork in Ireland. The tracks that eventually became “Black Kite” started out as a solo project for David, but in the end he called in friends (James Hewett on drums, Michael Campbell on guitar, and Jacob Heustis on bass) and family to flesh things out. It’s paid off, because when they want to make a lot of noise they can make a lot of noise.
As the band themselves acknowledge, there is a pretty large array of influences and styles on display. From the sparse hymnal of “Highways” and closer “Home”, to reverb-drenched psych folk on title-track “Black Kite” (must … not … mention … Mazzy Star), to scuzzy rock on “Ketchup”, the boys are quite comfortable moving between genres and make each one sound thoroughly convincing rather than feeling like pastiche.
“Warsaw” really bowls you a googly, coming after three relatively slow and spacious numbers, and slapping you around the face with big seventh chords and a driving keyboard loop. It’s like the pressing plant messed up and slapped a Human League B-side onto a Bob Dylan EP, if that clarifies the incongruity. “Wet Dawg”, on the other hand, has an off-kilter feel that put me in mind of Tori Amos‘s “Professional Widow” (no, not the Armond Van Helden version, obviously). It’s an eclectic mix reminiscent of the scattershot approach of The Magnetic Fields.
Therein lies both its strength and its weakness: as a collection of standalone tracks, “Black Kite” is a triumph – there’s nary a weak song on it. But it never quite gels as an album. It benefits from a couple of repeated listens, so that the more abrupt stylistic shifts catch you more prepared. The good news, of course, is that since the tracks themselves are so strong, listening again hardly feels like a chore.
I’m really excited to hear more from Silver Tongues. Their range and the quality of songwriting both bode well for the future, and whatever else is said, it cannot be denied that David has a powerful set of lungs. My only confident prediction for the direction they head in is that it’s likely to be unpredictable, although I’d also hazard a guess that it’s likely to be an enjoyable ride. You can stream some highlights from “Black Kite” below, or head over to their Bandcamp for the whole package.
