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Freak Show

Silverchair - Freak Show Audio CD

A fair review of the Silverchair "Freak Show" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Silverchair reviews here, or go back to the Silverchair tabs.

Band: Silverchair
Title: Freak Show
Rating:

Release Date: 1997-02-04
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Slave 2: Freak 3: Abuse Me 4: Lie to Me 5: No Association 6: Cemetery 7: Door 8: Pop Song for Us Rejects 9: Learn to Hate 10: Petrol & Chlorine 11: Roses 12: Nobody Came 13: Closing

Better version of greatest hits than GH album
After this album most everything they recorded sucked Crocodile Dundee. This is the best of Silverchair. The albums after Freak Show were watered down with strings and too many anti-depressants, and considering the record was the epitome of teenage angst in the late nineties it is still as relative, if not more so, today; especially since 'alternative' music is like saying Top 40 nowadays. Diorama is like diarrhea. Does anyone else smell burn out?.

Potential.......
While there is probably a bit too much derivative angsty teen grunge to call 'Freak Show' an artistic breakthrough, silverchair do start to branch out on several songs. I didn't think 'Frogstomp' did much to distinguish silverchair from the 1001 other long-haired Nirvana/Pearl Jam wannabees, but their second album begins to show some musical development. And the improvement in the musicianship and songwriting mean that the album is more consistent overall than 'Frogstomp'.

Even on the rawest grungy tracks, the band try a few different things. 'Slave' is a sludgy opener with an unsettling stop/start dynamic, while the introduction to 'No Association' employes vaguely psychadelic guitar effects. 'Freak' is an obvious grunge anthem that gradually builds up anger and emotion through its choruses. More obvious experiments are the string tinged 'Pop Song For Us Rejects', and the orchestral ballad 'Cemetery', while 'The Door' could almost be called power pop with its strong guitar hook. Even second single 'Abuse Me' is surprisingly melodic in both verse and chorus. The biggest departure, however, is 'Petrol and Chlorine', an Eastern-tinged track that wouldn't be out of place on a mid-60's Beatles album.

With one or two exceptions, it's still very obviously grunge, and Daniel Johns' vocals have not reached anywhere near their potential (he still does too much of his throaty sneer/scream). It's pretty much unrecognisable as the same band that made 'Diorama' and 'Young Modern'. But the first tentative steps toward a more mature sound have been taken, and a couple of tracks here highlight the potential that silverchair would begin to exploit more fully on 'Neon Ballroom'.

[3. 5 stars].

Silverchair at their best...And their last Post-Grunge album musically.
I was 10 when "Frogstomp" was released and I got the album on tape at the mall when I heard their single "Tomrrow" on MTV, and they closely resembled Nirvana by how they looked, considering I grew up on Grunge music before I went off to Middle School and always admired bands like Nirvana dn Pearl Jam. When Silverchair first came into the scene in '95, people often compared these three teenagers from Newcastle to the Seattle sound and Grunge bands such as Pearl Jam, Nirvana or Soundgarden.

Two years later in '97, I was 12 and in 6th grade and I was watching MTV (back when MTV was actually decent) and saw a few new videos off the upcoming Silverchair CD at the time, "Freak Show. " The single "Abuse Me" persuaded me to buy this album at Tower Records. I even went to my first concert that year. Guess who it was? Silverchair.

Looking back at this record they did, it's easier for me to say I prefer this album over "Frogstomp. " They still stick to the Grunge or Post-Grunge formula in making their music, they were about 17 when this album came out? Anyways. "Freak Show" also had elements musically that wasn't featured on their debut album "Frogstomp. " The thrashy punk/metal tunes such as "Lie to Me", "No Association", and "Learn to Hate" are examples. I feel this is Silverchair at their best and while this album did had the Grunge sound in some tracks, the emotion of the lyrics and songs catch the listener from start to finish. When I first heard this CD in '97, I was moved by this kind of music they did. Such emotions can be found in songs such as "Cemetery" which also was a minor hit single for them. Although I could be wrong. One song in particular, "Petrol & Chlorine" was obviously stuff that wasn't featured on their first record. Because of the new instruments found and heard in some songs on the album. Such as strings, Indian instruments and etc.

And those last 2 songs on that album, WOW! Track 12 "Nobody Came" has that wailing guitar solo near the end and "The Closing" is a perfect way to end the CD with the chugging riffs and power chords! Even the guitar work in this album like the opening track, "Slave" has that bridge/solo where Daniel Johns hits that sludgy guitar aggressively. This album is in fact retaining the elements of "Frogstomp" but they branch out with a mix of acoustic balads, thrashy metal/punk and etc.

This is Silverchair at their best, although I could say I am still a big fan of them. Their newer stuff isn't just the same. It's too bad Silverchair doesn't play or create music like this anymore but I've learned to deal with it. "Freak Show" I would say, is possibly the last Grunge album they ever did put out. And also from my memory, the last album that was from a then-Grunge band that became mainstream. I did like some of the stuff they did in "Neon Ballroom" which was the time Silverchair began doing more a Experimental style and sound by bringing in different instruments and sounds and styles into their music. I sort of did like "Diorama" considering I'm a huge fan of early Silverchair. Although their newer stuff while I have nothing against it, it's musically different from the first 2 Silverchair albums. But I'd say this is my personal favorite from them.

This album still sounds fresh today. Even 11 years after it came out. I prefer "Freak Show" over 99% of the mainstream music nowadays. Nowadays you don't get Rock music like this anymore. I personally can relate to this album emotionally and personally through the depth of the songs and quality in the music.

And lastly, a shameless self-promotion of my band Blizzard of Sound. http://www. soundclick. com/blizzardofsound / Check out my demos.

My favorite Silverchair albums:
1) Freak Show
2) Frogstomp OR Neon Ballroom (TIE)
3) Diorama
4) Young Modern.

The impossible follow up

Firstly there is still the goodwill factor this band created out of thin air for their debut EP and full length. This album scrapes to three stars IMHO due to the following points. A feeling of possibility and this album is assisted by all the roadwork the band did in support of their hit debut. Songs here sound stronger, perhaps because of a bigger recording budget but also perhaps due to the garnering of some genuine experiences on the road. The tunes here just sound sturdier even if they aren't any better.

Secondly the band delved deeper into their grunge psyche and are actually better at penning memorable tunes this time around and the musicianship has improved not to mention the addition of some extra self belief which alas wouldn't really morph into a desire to try truly different things until their third album.

Just like the debut this was a hit in the bands native Australia though the rest of the planet seemed to have gotten jaded very quickly as it was realised that this band didn't really have anything profound or even overly interesting to say. And really, you can only play the `hey look how young we are' buzz campaign once. This album much like their debut isn't great, it's not bad, it is just a simply played and constructed grunge album full of discussion of disaffectation, particularly of the youth. Which is perhaps why this band struck such a nerve with the mid teen crowd at the time as given the advantage of their own young age the band were speaking to the punters as peers.

Pulling it Together Down Under
This is the best Silverchair ever still. 1.
2. This is awesome.
3. This is heavier than "Frogstomp"
4. This is more rude than "Neon Ballroom"
5. This is less melodic than "Diarama" and "New Modern"
6. This is not inconsistent "Creed" or "Collective Soul"
7. This is edgy and angry and emotional.
8. This is singing entire breaths out well.
9. This is singing well and playing instruments well.
10. This is explosive guitar riffs awesome.
11. This is a must have for fans of hard rock in any way.

And. . .
12. (Yay For Aussie Rok).
13. Best of the type of music it is for an Australian-band's CD.
14. This is Silverchair (not ACDC, not Collective Soul, not. . . . etc. )
15. "Freak" is ridiculous in its trashing/pulsating music.
16. "Cemetry"/"Door" are insane in their vocal-breathing long-sung words.
17. They brought the positives of record 1 together.
18. They had proper/better mixing, recording, editing, and just sound(>1).
19. >1
20. This is CD 2, though it is > CDs 3 and 4. I won't judge CD 5 yet.
.

You can see a complete list of all Silverchair discography, or go back to the Silverchair tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.