ANT ZINE | Record Review


Silkworm
Italian Platinum
Touch and Go Records

Silkworm seems to be one of those bands you either really love or, well, you really don't. "An acquired taste," you'll often hear. These "stark-as-night classicists" (to quote a brief mention they received in Spin once) have been whipping out the rock for well over a decade now. Once a tight spiral of guitar, bass, drums and intelligent, yet often densely esoteric lyrics, the band has expanded its sound to include piano/organ melodies, female backing vocals, and more spacious guitar playing. I was introduced to these lads via a stunning song called "Couldn't You Wait?" (found on Libertine) way back in my ancient college days. I then bought Firewater, their yet to be dethroned crowning achievement, and it’s been a love fest ever since.

But many folks just don't get these guys. They say the music is non-ambitious, full of awkward stutter pacing, and helmed by less than average singers. I can see how it's possible to form this opinion if you're used to pretty pop, but that thinking shortchanges this group. If you ask me over a beer sometime, I'd tell you that Silkworm is a great American band. I'd offer enthusiastic praise of their use of standard rock elements to innovative effect (while keyboards have slowly emerged as a part of their sound, I'd be genuinely surprised if I ever heard strings on a Silkworm record), their honest, un-coached singing style, and their cryptic, often marvelously spun lyrics that put most bands to shame.

Italian Platinum is their new record, and it is an inextinguishable joy. For the first time in many years, the band members are all living in the same town (Chicago) and this seems to have given them more time to perfectly craft this newest batch of songs, which outshines some of their most recent work. The fact that the production level here is several grades above their previous mid-fi sound helps greatly. While remaining organic and un-commercial sounding, the record is given extra weight and sheen unheard before. No doubt it is a testament to producer/Steve Albini girlfriend Heather Whinna, who thankfully doesn't share the slightly muffled, cold-as-steel production style favored by Albini (the longtime Silkworm "recorder"). But, really, it's all about the songs. And many of these are as irresistibly catchy and as rocking as they are thought provoking. Andy Cohen, guitarist extraordinaire and co-singer, turns in the best songs here.

The opener "(I Hope U) Don't Survive" is driven by scorched-earth guitar and intriguing lyrics: "She was saying that there's no hope / But times are good out past her nose / The rest of us are living the life / Poised on a juggernaut of jokes." Other highlights include the sad "LR72," which is about the death of a close friend, and "The Old You," which laments the way someone use to be and the (friendly?) competition that can exist among buddies. Cohen also turns in the album's final two gems: "The Ram," a dirgey classic with a metaphor that still has me scratching my head, and "A Cockfight of Feelings," a great sing-a-long rocker that discusses suchthings as how giving up sex for Lent is foolish.

Between Cohen's stellar bookends is where bassist Tim Midgett's songs are found. Possessing a higher-register voice and a penchant for hyperactive song structures, Midgett has historically been the perfect compliment to Cohen's sardonic phrases, deeper voice, and relatively less poppy style (however, Cohen matches Midgett's accessible pop temperament pretty well on this record). Midgett's highlights include "The Third," "The Brain," and "Is She a Sign." The first two are characteristically up-tempo and slippery. The later is a softer, quirky semi-love song (I think). Standout line: "He says he's cured of his taste for other women."

Elsewhere, drummer Michael Dahlquist joins Midgett for a drunken ballad entitled "Bourbon Beard," Dahlquist's lone vocal turn. A bit unexpected, but totally lovely, is the slow building "Young," which features alt-country nightingale Kelly Hogan singing lead. It's one of the more profound songs Silkworm has ever recorded.

Italian Platinum is a snapshot of a band aging gracefully, of a group of adults with real world careers (Cohen a lawyer, Midgett an engineer, and Dahlquist a technical writer) still able to kick out the jams - now with a thicker, varied and more melodious sound. Maybe Silkworm isn't a band for everyone, but if you like intelligent rock and roll, this "acquired taste" tastes damn good.

-Doug Sell

Review at ANT ZINE