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Diorama

Silverchair - Diorama Audio CD

A fair review of the Silverchair "Diorama" 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: Diorama
Rating:

Release Date: 2002-05-07
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Across the Night 2: Greatest View 3: Without You 4: World Upon Your Shoulders 5: One Way Mule 6: Tuna in the Brine 7: Too Much of Not Enough 8: Luv Your Life 9: Lever 10: My Favorite Things 11: After All These Years

Dio-Drama? - Daniel "i am the ressurection" Johns
It takes an assured sense of self to believe you have the musical gift to follow in the hallowed path of Queen or Lou Reed, for Diorama is a musical broth simmering with rock sensibilities while heavily infused with rock opera. Listening to Silverchair's latest masterpiece, Diorama, one could be mistaken for thinking that Daniel John's nights are spent at the opera and that he has Freddie Mercury albums on repeat. Confounding his critics though, Daniel Johns and Silverchair do manage to achieve the impossible. Songs such as "Across the Night", "Tuna in the Brine" and "Luv your Life", take you deep into the dreamy landscapes that inhabit Daniel John's mind. Elaborate yet intense, the songs build up to a crescendo, and then, instead of reaching a conclusion, will surprise you with tangents targeting your emotions. "let us get merry, and make another baby,. . . i don't want to be lonely" from Across the Night and the "closer to everything" verse from Tuna in the Brine are illustrative of this. If Neon Ballroom confronted John's personal demons, then Diorama decides to escape into a surreal realm. Indeed John's almost seems relieved to be free of the anguish that marked his previous efforts. Instead, through songs like "After all these Years" "World upon your Shoulders" and "With or Without You", John's is displaying the maturity that can only be garnered through dark experience. While personal issues such as loneliness are still glossed over, "i'm all by myself" from "Luv your Life" he will then put a positive spin on it". . . but its the way i wanna be". Undoubtedly there most accomplished work, Diorama ranks as one of the finds of 2002.

There is no such thing as "going soft", only growing up
Perhaps one of the greatest things that "still" to this day remains a mind blowing factor is that Daniel, Chris, and Ben were merely High School students when Frogstomp first sold 250,000 records. I am 18 years old, I can also proudly say ive been a fan of Silverchair since the good ol' Frogstomp days. I don't know about you, but I know friends that have bands and they have trouble making their own records, much less having enough talent to sell them. lol.

Besides that, although Freakshow is my personal favorite, and probably why I became such a hard-core fan, I always figured Neon Ballroom was easily their best,and filled with the most honest and meaningful gut wrentching emotions Johns has ever thrown out there. It took alot risking that kind of dramatic change not only in the music, but the honest emotional clashing trauma that Johns was personally going through.

I like to think of Neon Ballroom as one of the greatest albums ever constructed. Not many people like it, besides other hard core fans like me, but I know ALOT of people, hell, probably every teenager that was going through things they couldn't handle has owned this album atleast once during their lifetime, or atleast should. It is the epitamy of life at its weirdest, and darkest times. But in the end, even after the events that were thought unimaginable to overcome. . . "steam will rise, esteem will rise. "

So, after an emotional rollercoaster like Ballroom, I didn't care what kind of music Diorama would be. I just knew it would be excellent. I mean c'mon, why doubt Johns? Rather if its mad, glad, happy,sad, or just plain misunderstood, Johns knows what he's doing. I had (and still have) faith in the man, so Diorama was merely a waiting experience.

. . . And let me tell you, my GOD, the wait was worth an eternity. Only "brilliance"can explain Diorama. The backing of symphony orchestra, the beautiful riffs, and the all-out light heartedness of the album puts an overglow to everything that silverchair has done in its past. Rather if its the teenage madness of Frogstomp, the rage of Freakshow, the emotional war of Neon Ballroom, Diorama is the garnish-the finishing touch-the RESULT- of "all the troubled times" these three talented gents have been through. Diorama is silverchair evolving. . . plain and simple. They started out as angry confused teens, now they have matured to an understanding of the world they though they knew. . . and it aint so bad afterall.

It cant rain all the time.

Diorama is proof. (Kinda makes you think about the "rainbow" colored album cover, eh?).

Album of the year
I am sorry for the band: they're worth getting huge success,but I don't know why Diorama wasn't released with a great commercial campaign in Europe and the States. These songs are have the most beautiful moments of 2002, I love it. Europe plays down Silverchair: this album IS NOT IN TRADE IN HUNGARY (even though I bought the others in Budapest) I had to get it via internet (but finally I ordered it from Germany and it was worth doing that).
All the songs are strong, amazing, dramatic - full of emotions ( I think that's why I love Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Screaming Trees, AIC etc. so much). With great step forwards by Diorama the band justified they're unbelievably talented young musicians and they're not just grunge clones. From Frogstomp until Diorama is a beautiful timeline to let us make sure they're magnificient. It is so ironic that debut was the great success and being greater and better got them out of mainstream. I can't really imagine I'll be so lucky I get into a concert of them ever, but I hope they come to Vienna at least (it is close to Budapest)to get a chance. I wish Daniel recover completely very soon and join the others in order to conquer the world by a frenetic tour.
YOU MUST BUY IT!!! .

Their Best Yet
It truly is the greatest of all their albums. This is the finest work this band has produced. The song "without you" is the the greatest of all their work.

How Silverchair has grown
The album's melodic strengths mimic in a large way the softer songs off their previous album "Neon Ballroom. Silverchair's "Diorama" marks a definitive changing point in their career. " Songs off that album that were incredible such as "Emotion Sickness" and "Miss You Love" have clearly decided the theme for this new album. The band's use of orchestration and piano riffs in place of the heavy guitar may be seen as softer and more "Adult Contemporary," but deep down I believe these are the same minds that came up with "Tomorrow" from the album "Frogstomp. " Yes, they have come a very long way, and it is clear that they appreciate much more now the wide range that every musical instrument in the available arsenal can provide, but they still do a great job creating a grungy, alternative sound. I will say that people who adored their first two albums and thought "Neon Ballroom" was a step in the wrong direction might see this album as a leap in that same direction, but if you have enjoyed their progression as musicians and couldn't get the well written and orchestrated songs off "Neon Ballroom" out of your head, then you will assuredly love this album also.

I for one love this album, but must say that with all the "pretty" songs on this album it can become a bit repetitive. The great thing about "Neon Ballroom" was that the beautiful song "Miss You Love" was well placed between two piano-lacking and loud songs that had a great amount of anger in them. It made the single "Miss You Love" really stand out, and unfortunately this contrast is sort of lost in "Diorama" due to the frequency of the soft sound. Nevertheless, "Diorama" will appeal to your craving for hard rock with a brain and complication when you've played your more simply written hard rock and metal albums through too many times.

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.