The Globe

iTunes Review

Detroit’s The Silent Years have struck paydirt here, evoking a sound and feel that’s huge and “major label” when they are neither. Their penchant for layering soaring guitars that might go Snow Patrol any second with an undercurrent of something dark and dirty is brilliant, and the vocals of Josh Epstein manage to dodge a ‘mersh feel more often than not, although he’s got a voice perfectly cut out for the many nuances of their songs. There are cellos, trumpets, pianos and booming drums, guitars that alternately murmur and sear. Whether teasing us with a Coldplay-like sensitivity and then blowing it out of the water (“You Know Your Place”), or kicking out the jams on tracks heaving with surging guitars and keys (“Out Into the Wild,” “The World’s Worst Birthday Gift”), The Silent Years show a striking depth and confidence. Tracks like the shimmering “The Sun Is Alive,” the raging “Climb On My Back,” and the hymn-like “Open Up Our Eyes” serve as ideal texturing tools, each melody swathed in its own sylistic mode. Lyrically, they tackle bigger issues, like feeling lost (both metaphorically and literally) and “trying to escape inevitability,” which just makes them that much more endearing. The Globe was produced by Chris Coady, producer for TV On The Radio and Yeah Yeah Yeahs.