Arguably, each album released by
Silverchair has been an improvement on the last, or at least a marked change in direction. It is a natural progression for a band to evolve away from its early influences, and in this instance the world has listened to the boys become men. As major songwriter
Daniel Johns' teenage angst turned into youthful enthusiasm and experimentation, there has been a distinct maturity in the band's songwriting and production. Gone are the heavy
Sabbath riffs, the lazy adolescent poetry, and
Ben Gillies trying to invoke
Bonham or
Moon. In their place are catchy melodic hooks, inspired lyrical themes, and stunning string arrangements. This album is the pinnacle of the band's fascinating development. Titled after
Van Dyke Parks' nickname for
Johns during their time together working on 2002's
Diorama,
Young Modern is a highly ambitious work that happily jumps from glam rock to sweeping orchestral pastiches and almost everywhere in between. Once the opening sonic aural frenzy of "Young Modern Station" effortlessly segues into the instant rock classic (and Aussie number one hit) "Straight Lines," there is an overwhelming feeling that all bets are off -- there has never been a
Silverchair album like this.
Diorama and 1998's
Neon Ballroom offered a few musical surprises, but ultimately strayed into the familiar grunge-tinged formula that heavily peppered the band's first two long-players. You can hear in
Johns' vocal performances a playfulness and energy that never dared show itself in previous works. There can be no doubt that his eclectic 2004 side project release with renowned DJ, remixer, and keyboard player
Paul Mac as
the Dissociatives opened
Johns' musical landscapes wide open, and his vocals on this album are versatile enough to fit into each genre jump. Another contributing factor to the change of the band with this album is
Julian Hamilton, of the Sydney duo
the Presets, who appears on four of the 11 tracks as a co-writer (the last two
Silverchair albums were completely written by
Johns).
Young Modern made history in the Australian music charts by becoming the fifth straight album by an Australian act to debut at the number one spot.
Silverchair are also the only Australian act to achieve five number one albums, eclipsing native heavyweights
INXS,
Midnight Oil, and
Cold Chisel. ~ Clayton Bolger