The Silent League is the on-again, off-again project of Mercury Rev‘s Justin Russo and a revolving cast of musicians. Russo and company have quietly, gently offered up understated records that don’t differ from the template set down by Russo’s main band, circa Deserter’s Songs. That’s not an insult; the songs are gentle, occasionally folky, occasionally jazzy, occasionally poppy songs, and Russo does sound not unlike Mercury Rev crooner Jonathan Donahue. Of Stars and Other Somebodies was released in 2007, but not in the United States, and quickly fell out of print. A shame, because the record blossomed and outshone the band’s debut album, The Orchestra, Sadly, Has Refused. Never mind the tardiness; the songs found here are superb, whether it be the mellow, melancholic “Let It Roll,” the slightly trippy baroque rock of “The Tolka, Not the Liffey,” or the jazzy pop of “Untied” and “A Dry Hallway.” The mellowness is nice, but when the Silent League gets aggressive and loud, they simply excel. “Victim of Aeroplanes” is jaunty, upbeat, and “Out of Reach” is a powerful, loud, throbbing rock number. As this is a reissue, a few extras are added; two remixes of album cuts “Kings and Queens” and “Character Assassination” are interesting, but don’t necessarily say anything new; a demo of “Before You Started” is more affecting and sweet than the final version, and a live version of “Victim of Aeroplanes” shows that the band could easily translate their gentle sound into the live setting. This record should have been released here five years ago, but no matter; it’s better late than never, and nothing here has aged. Here’s to album number four!
