Whilst the rest of the rock fraternity is arguing just where classic rock ends and alternative starts, what constitutes post-this or that-core, Sons of Silver just get on with the job at hand. And the job at hand, one that they seem supremely equipped for, is just getting on with what back in the day was enough to call rock ‘n’ roll. No frills, no gimmicks, no faddishness or following or fashion, just great songs with great grooves. It’s been a while since we had some of that come along.
I guess Sons of Silver have worked out that rock and roll (as opposed to that grooveless, humorless, shapeless, unmelodic thing that today is known simply as “rock music”) found its perfect form a long time ago and, rather than try to improve it or evolve it into something new, understand that all you have to do is take the same, well-defined building blocks and forge them into something that is both fresh yet familiar. And that is what Ordinary Sex Appeal is all about.
The recent single, “Whose Gonna Stop Us” kicks things off perfectly, with a staccato salvo of punch and power, foot on the monitor attitude, and more hooks than a Peter Pan convention. And, have set the tone wonderfully, they then lay out the case for them being more than just a one-trick rock and roll band. “ReEducation” runs on graceful grooves and solid riffs, spiraling soloing and a hefty backbeat and there is even room to show off their more balladic skills on the deft and delicate “With You”.
From there, they build things back up and take the EP home with the power-groove,funk-infused, “Cause of My Pain”, and the epic, stadium-ready rock-a-rama of “Hesitate”. Job done!
Bands working in the heavier musical realms should take a leaf out of Sons of Silver’s book. Forget the pout and pose, the fad and fashion, the looking in the mirror or checking which way the zeitgeist is blowing. Just put all your efforts into writing good, solid songs, learn from the past, and aim to help forge a healthy future for the genre. Do all that and you just might end up with a record this good!
