Silian Rail & By Sunlight - A/SUNG SURRENDER

Apologies, this post has been awhile in coming.

Silian Rail and By Sunlight introduced a joint EP during their recent May tour, which included two new songs from each band. A/Sung Surrender does well to serve as a sample of what kind of music to expect from both bands, especially if one is new to either.

After having heard Silian Rail live, what came tumbling through my computer speakers was almost disappointing in comparison. There just wasn't the same sense of intensity, like when the music charged forth at the ~1:50 mark in "A". Obviously, one can't reproduce the live experience in a record; still I was expecting a bit more impact than I got. Nonetheless both "A" and "Faith NC" were

What had drawn me to By Sunlight in the first place had been their lyrics as much as their style; in this regard, both "Sung Surrender" and "No More Miracles" more than satisfied me. For example, "We turned to disguise all our moves and murmurs/With closeness kept you hypnotized/I lost you there in a sung surrender/As movement stilled and slowly died" scanned brilliantly and was some lovely imagery to boot. On the other hand, as much as I loved the lyrics of "No More Miracles," I felt the song as a whole was too drawn out. In general, I tend to be of two minds concerning By Sunlight's longer songs - I love the pure instrumental that comprises of half the length of these songs, but at the same time I think they overdo it. Even with one of my favorites - "Twilight Shy" from their previous album - I felt that cutting it off at the six minute mark would have made the song stronger. For "No More Miracles" it took five minutes to reach peaking point. With such a slow build-up, the song definitely would have been better off ending at the climax than spending another three minutes breaking down the tension again.

Perhaps I'm missing the point.

Still, I like the EP well enough, both bands' sides of it. And hey, if you're a fan, or merely want to sample their music, it's a good place to start.

o5/25/2o1o - Evan Jewett, Silian Rail, By Sunlight @ The Blank Club

Evan Jewett, Silian Rail, and By Sunlight played last night at San Jose's The Blank Club. Despite getting there nearly a half hour after the listed time, I still managed to get there before the show actually started. (Sometimes, following the GPS is not always the best idea! Man, did I get lost.) I am so glad I made it though. The club itself was fairly empty, but then, it was a Tuesday evening.

The night started off with Evan Jewett (of Worker Bee), who kicked it off on a rather experimental note. Throughout the twenty-some minute act, Jewett managed the guitar and what looked like a crazy assortment of mixers, with the occasional vocals and solitary drum thrown in, while his drummer kept a steady beat as a backdrop. Jewett certainly made an impression through some seriously interesting methods of playing his instruments, including banging his mic against the drum, or even banging the neck of his guitar against the rim of said drum. It was a continual build up and crash, build up and crash that actually left me a little bit dazed when it was all over. Perhaps it's just that the style of music isn't my thing. Given how Jewett went the entire time without actually introducing himself or even speaking to his audience, though, the act felt like a whirlwind that had just swept on by.

In contrast, Silian Rail was a lackadaisical summer road trip. If Robin Landy's warm guitar brought the atmosphere, Eric Kuhn's drums carried the backbone of their pieces with intricate beats that kept my attention throughout their set. Kuhn also played harmony guitar in some of their songs, balancing the instrument behind the drum kit to pull off beats that accentuated the music. It was nice to see that they actually talked to their audience as well, introducing themselves and playing both old songs and new before advertising the 7" split with By Sunlight available for sale. They ended their set with another of their new tracks, a strong start and strong finish that at least gained one new fan in me.

Finally, By Sunlight rounded out the evening with their rock sound and sweet vocals. By Sunlight was the band I came to see, and they certainly didn't disappoint. It was a joy to watch them truly get into their music and play their music; my only complaint was that the sound coming from the speakers was almost too loud, with the guitars occasionally drowning out the voices as well. Especially following Silian Rail's set, it was like someone had dialed the volume setting up to 11 - it was just too much. Vocalist and guitarist Mike Sparks was especially active on stage, moving between his mic and the drums when he wasn't singing, and headbanging along as well.

Like Silian Rail, By Sunlight also played their new songs. Though I couldn't clearly hear the lyrics, the music alone lives up to their previous album and has already won me over. John O'Connell on drums was amazing, as was Jack Clemens on bass, and I can honestly say that every time Mike Sparks and guitarist/background vocals Robert Cheek harmonised, it was a little slice of beauty. After thanking their audience at the beginning for sticking around - it'd just hit 11pm by then - they powered through one song after the next, playing both new and old and transitioning with the kind of fills that makes up the intro of pieces like "Summer." Being able to hear "Ghost" live? Was wonderful.

Given the lineup and the genres, I wasn't expecting any major adrenaline high. The cocoon buzz I got was just as great, the product of good songs and that unique breathlessness that comes from the total immersion into music of a live show. Overall, it was completely worth the effort of driving down and navigating the streets of San Jose, just for discovering Silian Rail alone. If you get a chance to see any of these artists live - but especially Silian Rail and By Sunlight - I'd recommend going. (Alas, that I didn't have a camera aside from my dinky phone camera!) If you're from the Bay Area, Silian Rail and By Sunlight will be doing another show in San Francisco tomorrow, 9PM at MilkBar SF.

Now I have a Silian Rail album and the new tracks of By Sunlight and Silian Rail's 7" split to check out. Sweet.