The Silos from album Family

The Silos from album Family

The Silos (from album Family available on Sonic Pyramid Records) (by Lee Zimmerman)
 
With a collective career that dates back nearly 40 years, The Silos have become the darlings of critics and connoisseurs of authentic heartland rock and roll. It’s the kind that comes across as rough and rugged at times, while never negating the importance of authenticity and emotion. The band’s new album, Family, marks a reunion of sorts, following an extended period of solo outings by Walter Salas-Humara, one of the band’s prime movers since the very beginning. Those that still consider the group’s seminal albums Cuba and their eponymous major label debut for RCA Records lingering landmarks in their on-again, off-again trajectory will certainly welcome this return, and while only Salas-Humara remains from the original ensemble, the current line-up still retains the grit and gravitas that propelled the Silos brand back in the very beginning.
 
Not surprisingly however, Salas-Humara is still the band’s musical prime mover and its main source of material and inspiration. His throaty vocals — think Joe Strummer during the earlies incarnation of The Clash — and a decided sense of urgency and conviction give songs such as “My Favorite Animal”, “Snow King”,  and “The Right Palace” a rocking resolve that sets the tone for the album overall. So too, while Salas-Humara finds a cultural connection by singing the provocative “Puerde Ser” in Spanish, the frenzy never falters.
 
Likewise, even the most descriptive narratives —  “Spanish Man”, “Colorado River”, and “Dreaming of Paris” in particular — convey more evocative soundscapes with the same determined drive and deliberation he evokes through the more upbeat entries. Salas-Humara takes his role as the band’s frontman quite seriously, and his rock and roll instincts never drift far from the surface. He recognizes the importance of seizing attention through the power of a sizzling riff and the kind of soaring power chords that can turn a captivating chorus or a resounding refrain into a sound that’s both memorable and moving.
 
Consequently, there’s not a single selection here that doesn’t make an emphatic impression even on first hearing. That said, one track in particular, “Rocking and Raging”, fully encapsulates The Silos’ emphatic attitude, just as closing track “Love and Trust and Friends” effectively sums up the communal bond that’s implied so implicitly throughout.
 
The result is an album chock full of exuberant, exhilarating melodies that ought to immediately inspire a ready response. This is one family reunion that ought to find anyone within earshot eager to take part. (by Lee Zimmerman)
 
 
Listen and buy the music of The Silos from AMAZON
 
For more information and purchase options, please visit The Silos website