@ The Beachland Tavern, Cleveland, January 31
by Andrew Clayman
Published (with edits) in The Scene (Cleveland), January 2008
When the results of Spin Magazine’s year-long, bracket-style “Artist of the Year” tournament were revealed last spring, many music fans were shocked . . . Spin still exists?! Some were also mildly surprised to find that Spin’s readership had voted the oh-so-emo band Boys Like Girls to a semi-final victory over one of Detroit’s more genuinely interesting indie-rock troupes, the Silent Years.
Though their Cinderella run was cut short by Hot Topic shoppers, Josh Epstein and his mates in the Silent Years still won enough match-ups in their portion of the up-and-comers tournament to be named Spin’s “Underground Artist of the Year.” It was just one of many noteworthy accomplishments for a band that made a lot of noise in 2007, making their name increasingly ironic in the process.
For starters, Epstein (vocals/guitar) recruited former members of fellow Detroit band Rescue-- Cassandra Veras (keyboard/violin) and Mike Majewski (bass)-- to join Ryan Clancy (drums) and Ryan Trager (guitar) in the band’s new lineup. The gang then tore it up at South By Southwest, riding a wave of internet buzz and positive reviews (for their 2006 self-titled album) all the way to a successful European tour.
As for the music itself, the Silent Years are hardly re-inventing the wheel, but there’s no denying Epstein’s songwriting craft and versatility. Standout single “Someone to Keep Us Warm” recalls Rogue Wave or the Walkmen, while the sensitive “Someday” and punchy “This Town” creep into Death Cab and Ted Leo territory, respectively. It’s indie rock in its natural habitat, but elevated by a singer clearly more influenced by Jeff Buckley than Stephen Malkmus.
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