At The Close of Every Day |
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Going into At the Close of Every Day blindly, I was quite surprised by what I found. For a band which has graced the Emo Diaries compilations from Deep Elm Records, where you typically find bands with a broken heart, some fire in their stomach, and (usually) good intentions, At the Close of Every Day are a much darker and more mature offering. This becomes apparent quite quickly because while The Silja Symphony kicks off with a post-rock instrumental, ‘The Departure’, ‘September Tales’ which follows it firstly seems to be going on a similar tack with a powerful intro, but it suddenly breaks and an almost sombre mood overcomes the verse. This then lives on throughout, almost as the theme of the album.
It’s not a completely depressing affair, though. While vocally, the songs almost fall into the territory of Mark Kozelek and Red House Painters, the lyrics throw up shades of both dark and light, and there are also plenty of uplifting moments which rise up out of the shadows and change the feeling of a song without warning. ‘Higher, Brighter’ is a good example of this - carried along by a very pretty acoustic guitar, and when the gentle drums arrive, the song becomes swathed in piano and horns. Then there’s ‘The Maria Tales’ - a fairly upbeat chorus and the use of horns enables it to even sound cheery. The Silja Symphony isn’t quite the morbid affair it seems at face value.
At the close of every play, it’s apparent that At the Close of Every Day are not about letting rip on their guitars with savage emotions. Their songs are carefully structured with small dynamic changes to control tension, and the usage of additional orchestrations adds depth and quality where necessary. There is a lot of nice music here, and the packaging too almost makes the album worth a purchase. It’s not an instant, life-changing record, though. To get the most from The Silja Symphony, you’ll have to live with it and let it soak in over time.
Steven McCarron
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