THE SILENT YEARS

"The band sharpened its chops by first recording dozens of demos. The music that emerged straddles the line between indie rock and pop, with soaring melodies, precise guitar work and Josh Epstein's vocals (think a less anguished Gary Puckett, if you remember the '60s) folded into distinctly modern arrangements" – LA Times
 
"SPIN-Underground Artist of the Year 2007" – Spin Magazine
 
"The Silent Years is a good debut album from astute pop craftsmen who should have enough tricks up their sleeves to last beyond a group's initial burst of creativity."– Pitchfork Album Review Rating: 7.3
 
"The Silent Years' brand of rock touts a dreamy delicacy encased in rock noise: Vocal harmonies punctuate cascading melodic hooks. Intertwining inspirations from Wilco, Radiohead and Elliott Smith, the band crafts a sound that is scientific, yet artful." – Detroit Free Press

In 2004, The Silent Years were founded and released their first EP "Stand Still like a Hummingbird". Straight out of Detroit, Rock City! And heavily influenced by Elliot Smith, Jeff Buckley, Flaming Lips and Sunny Day Real Estate, The Silent Years are a real DIY having created all of their own artwork, website; even hand made their stunning debut video clip for "Someone To Keep Us Warm" for their self-titled full length debut album in 2006.

After touring heavily in the UK and the US playing dates with "The Akron Family," "The Kooks," "Aqueduct," "Motion City Soundtrack," "The French Kicks" and "Someone Still Loves you Boris Yeltsin," vocalist Josh Epstein enlisted the help of keyboardist and violinist Cassandra Verras, drummer Ryan Clancy and bassist Michael Majewski formerly of the acclaimed Detroit band Rescue to help round out their sound. They headed back to their studio to self-record their sophomore album, "The Globe" in which they combined simple and sweet melodies with sharp and powerful bursts of emotion via instrument and vox. Adding to the intrigue are the multiple tempo changes and playful dynamics that are delivered like an amusement park rollercoaster. Chris Coady who has previously worked with artists such as "TV on the Radio," "Grizzly Bear," "Architecture in Helsinki" and "Blonde Redhead" was invited to mix the album and add the last touch to the masterpiece.

Lead singer Josh Epstein describes the concept of album as the following: "We were watching the film 'Powers of 10' which they used to show in middle school science classes. In the film, the camera starts out, framed on a couple having a picnic. Every 10 seconds, the field of view expands by a power of ten — the picnic becomes Chicago, Chicago becomes North America, and soon you’re seeing the Earth in the context of its solar system. This got us thinking about the similarities between mankind and all other components of the universe. An atom is to a cell, as a cell is to a man, as man is to the Earth, as the Earth is to the universe, etc."

 DEFEND RELEASES

Catalog Number:
DFN80043
Title:
The Globe
Release Date:
August 2008

Track List
01. Out into the Wild
02. On Our Way Home
03. Climb On My Back
04. Black Hole
05. Ropes
06. The Sun is Alive
07. Goddamn You!
08. The World’s Worst Birthday Gift
10. Aging Gracefully
11. The Axiom
12. Pay it Back
13. Open Up Our Eyes