Silverchair - Diorama

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Music reviews of Diorama

Music Review: The Latest Journey....
Rating: 5 Stars

And light there was. Even with all the expectations and reviews I'd been reading before even purchasing their newest album/masterpiece, Diorama, I had my reservations and doubts; as to whether they could top, by my standards, the marvels of Neon Ballroom. But, I bought the album (the cool Australian version with a CD-rom insert of the making of the album, and black and white postcard along with the cd itself) on Ebay, (after cheating a little bit and downloading a few songs and music videos on the internet, not to my disappointment)...I wasn't disappointed when I got my album, either (as Silverchair has a way of not disappointing). I found their new music to be inspiring, uplifting, and even fun--these last 2 adjectives could only be used sparingly when characterizing the trio's previous "grunge", darker sound; they've grown a lot as a band, but in my opinion, Daniel Johns has just brought out what he was itching to express for a long time--his more melodious, soft, and "dream-like" side. This time around, they've even included a full brass and wood-wind ensemble, as well as the orchestration that carried on from the last album, and Freakshow (taken to another level). This brass inclusion alone is somewhat representative of the musical growth.

He had said that what he wanted to achieve with this album was something that, if even for an hour or a few minutes, will take people away to another world, out of the ordinary--to a "world within a world", (what the title, Diorama, literally means). In that respect, mission accomplished; and then some. He has also said (in interviews and such) that he didn't want to bring people down, depress them, with their music--this time around, that definitely won't be happening. It leaves you with a feeling of hope and contentment.

This album is kind of a summary of all that's gone before on the previous albums--there's rock, there's melody, there's brass and woodwind, soft and hard. And Johns's vocals are at their finest through-out. I'm also extremely happy to see Johns in the state he's in now, much happier and healthier looking (as opposed to the Ballroom era--skeleton-thin from anorexia, sulky, angry, etc). He seems to have come full-circle, or just about, and the latest music reflects this.

This may be their last album, by the way, but Ihope not--I think they could evolve even further and I'd love to see the next ingenious steps they take. Word of warning: the songs may get stuck in your head, and be almost impossible to get out! Ha, really, though. But I recommend the album fully, it's great.

Just F.Y.I, my fave. songs from Diorama (AS OF NOW) are (in order of their appearance on the CD): Across The Night, Greatest View, Without You (great ending, and song in general), Tuna in the Brine, Luv Your Life, The Lever (the opening's awesome), and My Favorite Thing. That's excluding One Way Mule, World Upon Your Shoulders and After All These Years--which are all great anyway. Don't miss the hidden piano solo at the end of the last track.

One more thing, one of his bandmates (either Ben/drums or Chris/bass) said this about Daniel (the singer/songwriter of all the songs): "He's painting in colors now. Not just shades of black and gray." That pretty much sums it up.

Description of Diorama

This product is manufactured on demand using CD-R recordable media. Amazon.com's standard return policy will apply.

Alternative Rock CDs

• Music > Styles
• Pop
• Rock