Posted on: May 28, 2012 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

One of the first acts to be signed onto the Tiberius Records roster that does not personally involve one of the Tiberius owners, Silo the Huskie have a lot to prove with their Tiberius debut, Sons of Columbus. Sounding at times like Jawbreaker, Smoking Popes, Soul Asylum and even early R.E.M., Silo the Huskie plays well with the newly reenergized Tired Anchor-era Thistle. Having the average tempo of any Sons of Columbus track reaching the speed and intensity of “Repent, Repent”, Silo the Huskie plays a brand of rock influenced post-punk that seems almost more in place during the early nineties than in 2003. However, Silo the Huskie, along with the aforementioned Thistle and other bands like Swissfarlo, is almost revolutionary in looking back and influencing early-nineties post punk with harder, more metal-influenced guitar lines and a more polished sound.

Brian’s vocals on Sons of Columbus show a singer that is being torn in two: the desire to go and have clear vocals like Brand New or Taking Back Sunday and the corresponding conflict in the individuality ey brings to each track. Each track on Sons of Columbus is too rich to take in in just one listening – the interplay between the drums and guitars provides enough distraction that the bass and even some of the vocals are obscured. The sheer amount of urgency in just one track – “Called Flier”, with its pressing bass lines and impatient guitars – instills a sense of wonderlust in its listeners. By the time I was done listening to the track, I had a desire to go to my car and drive around. It was almost like each guitar riff was a electrical pole I passed on the highway.

Being around for a while, like Silo the Huskie has, can really do a lot for creating a very vibrant and distinct sound. However, as evidenced by a number of bands, time can just be a number, not affecting anything in the way of style or musicianship. Silo the Huskie has been around for over a decade, and this album shows a band in control of their instruments. Where some of the breakdowns and lead-ups, such as in the Neil Young-influenced “Rome” lead to a sense of chaos that would lead many bands into an unstructured orgasm of sounds and off-key noises, Silo the Huskie has the talent and experience to lead the energy down to a manageable point. Silo the Huskie is one of those bands who mesh together perfect, and can transcend labels to make an album that is equally necessary for rock, punk, indie, and emo music.

Rating : 8.3/10

Top Tracks : Rome, Northern Southern

Silo the Huskie – Sons of Columbus / 12 Tracks / 2003 Tiberius Records / http://www.silothehuskie.net/ http://www.tiberiusrecords.com / Reviewed 18 October 2003 / Released 21 October 2003.

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