When Tomorrow Never Came guitarist James Pogson left the band temporarily to go traveling round the world, it looked as if TNC would probably be put on hold. That ended up being the case, and a band that promised so much actually ended up delivering very little. But while one member was sunning himself across on the other side of the world, the remaining three members started a new band – Silent Film Project. Joined by new member James Keown, Silent Film Project have dramatically changed their sound for their new guise.
Thankfully that ‘new’ sound isn’t the predictable emo/post-harcore concoction that you may have expected it to be. Rather than cashing in on any kind of trend, the band have come back with a four-track record which is warm and endearing, more rock than pop-punk, but still pretty good all the same. There’s an intelligence in the songwriting beyond their teenage years, and while at times the tracks are possibly a little too stretched and thoughtful, at least the band are having a go at flexing their musical muscles. Efforts like ‘First Days of April’ and ‘Fallen Angel’ mix in acoustic guitar alongside the carefully strummed electric version, while the vocals are careful and at times whispery. In places they remind me of a style not too dissimilar from Tracy Chapman – and yes I know she’s a woman. Perhaps ‘Photograph Albums’, the record’s final track, is the one that shows the most progression and experimentation, but doesn’t quite hit the nail on the head just yet. In terms of a first record though, this is pretty good stuff.
I always thought Tomorrow Never Came had it in them to go places if they pushed themselves, but sadly they never did. ‘Blindfold’ is a neat little EP which shows a maturity in their writing and talent that goes to prove that as musicians they can certainly make waves. As it is, this is a good start to their new band, but probably not one that will take them on the road to headier heights. Still, you could do a hell of a lot worse than to pick this up…
Paul