If I were to say that there is something very “old school” about Sons of Silver and also their latest release, it would be in no way a criticism. Far from it, in fact, something is going on here that restores my faith in music. (Yes, I do believe in rock and roll and music can save our mortal souls.)
The fact that, in these days when music is engineered to within an inch of its life, when music is more the result of focus groups and gimmicks than truely great songs, when grassroots live music is struggling, here we have a band not only going out and touring the country, kicking ass live on stage, it’s the sound music as it happens, made in the moment with all the rough edges left on. And then recording it and releasing it. That is a band that is confident and secure in what they do.
And so they should be. As “Read ‘Em There Rights” kicks the album off, you realise that this is foot-on-the-monitor, fist-in-the-air music made in the same vein as the likes of Supersuckers or Thin Lizzy.
“Ghosts” shows us that this is a band that is equally at home with intricate guitarwork and spacious deliveries as they are with the big and bombastic. “Tell Me This” is exciting and incendiary, full of the sort of riffs that the likes of Bernie Marsden revelled in (more a British reference than a US one, but if you like what’s going on here, check him out). And “Who’s Gonna Stop Us” is, for my money, the icing on the cake.
This reminds me of my younger days, when it was all about seeing bands live rather than downloading a track that had been polished to perfection. It was more about the power of music as it washes over you, rather than music made to maximize likes and followers. 7 Cities 7 Songs is a fantastic document of the band doing what they do best but also a reminder, perhaps, of what we are losing with the unchecked advance of technology.
Well done Sons of Silver, you’ve made a happy man feel very old…. and I thank you for it.
