Silverstein - 18 Candles: The Early Years

Silverstein
18 Candles: The Early Years
Victory Records
Grade: A-

Like Victory’s reissue of early Junior Varsity, this reissue of Silverstein’s early material is fascinatingly good; so much better than recent material. 18 Candles: The Early Years consists of the Burlington, ON group’s first two EPs, 2000’s Summers Stellar Gaze and 2002’s When the Shadows Beam, along with a set of bonus live tracks. The reason why the songs off these two EPs are preferred over last year’s Discovering the Waterfront is simply that, here, Silverstein demonstrates their energy and indie punk prowess. From 2000 and 2002, this Silverstein has a parallel sound to early Get Up Kids with similar guitar movements, ranging vocal intensity, and a raw recording that only adds to the level of enjoyability. I’ll take this over any smoothly produced indie punk record anytime. When the Shadows Beam is slightly better recorded than Summers Stellar Gaze, and the band repeats the songs “Waiting Four Years” and “Wish I Could Forget You” which is rather annoying, but it still has that feel. Songs to pay attention to include “Waiting Four Years” (the first version), “Wish I Could Forget You” (again, the first version), “Friends in Fall River,” “Red Light Pledge,” and “Dawn of the Fall.” The live tracks include acoustic versions of “My Heroine” and “Call It Karma,” along with “Discovering the Waterfront,” “Defend You,” and “Bleeds No More” (with WiL from Aiden). These live tracks are for hardcore fans of Silverstein only. 18 Candles closes on a cool, ambient remix of “Smile in Your Sleep” by A Crude Mechanical (aka, Alan Szymkowiak). Regardless of your current stance toward Silverstein, 18 Candles: The Early Years will turn/keep it to the positive.