REVIEW : Silverlites - Medium

Review by Rob Duguay :

Supergroups can happen in a variety of ways. It can result from the demise of a couple established bands, it can be a bunch of talented musicians who have wanted to collaborate with each other finally getting to do so, or it can happen in a way that’s a little bit weird. Featuring singer-songwriter Joseph Arthur, Peter Buck from R.E.M., Barrett Martin from Screaming Trees and Rich Robinson from The Black Crowes, Silverlites is an example of a mix of the latter two. This project was initially started by Martin in a hotel room in Nashville back in 2019, and eventually an album was made over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic with Martin handling the producing. The album is a self-titled release, and it just came out on November 15 via Sunyata Records.

The overall aesthetic comes off as a folk-rock collective with Buck and Robinson each on guitar, Martin playing drums, upright bass and vibraphone while harmonizing backing vocals as Arthur takes the lead on those duties. It isn’t a kitschy thing though, the songs within the full-length possess a quality that evokes the great songwriting that was exhibited during the ’60s and ’70s. There are some slight alt-rock and psychedelic elements as well, which gives the music a bit of a breadth to avoid being a cookie cutter acoustic-driven project. It’s also nice to hear Arthur’s approach to singing after not diving into any of his creative output for a while. If I had to sum up my thoughts on Silverlites in succinct fashion, it’s a great example of talented individuals coming together to create excellent songs.

Whether people like it or not, we’re right at the start of the holiday season. Before you know it, it’s going to be Thanksgiving, then it’ll be Christmas, Hannukah, Kwanzaa or any other celebration folks partake in during December, and then the new year will be upon us. I know this time of year can be tough for people, and if you get the sense that a friend, family member or loved one is going through the motions over the next few weeks, make sure to check in on them. I’m sure they’ll appreciate it, even if they’re apprehensive at first. I know folks appreciate my top tracks off of my Album of The Week, so here they are:

Along with being a fantastic love song, “Forever And A Day” also has a consistently stellar sound from start to finish. This is primarily due to the guitars while the vocal harmonies add a nice touch. “When You’re Around” has a distinct catchiness that’s conveyed through the structure and instrumentation. I enjoy it primarily because I find it to be pleasant rather than annoying. Arthur’s vocals reach a higher pitch during “Lifted”, which makes the song stand out from the others.

As of press time, Arthur, Buck, Robinson and Martin have no plans to do a tour together. It’ll be cool to see these guys do a small run to ring in the album, but for now, make sure to keep tabs on them by clicking on the links to their websites in the intro. I must say, this full-length is a refreshing release to dive the senses into. This is for a variety of reasons, but other folks are going to have to find their own. The best way to do so is by giving it a listen, so go about doing that and enjoy the result of some cool collaborating.

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