Rob’s Album Of The Week: Silverbird’s Pureland

Taking your senses and imagination to new heights, Brooklyn indie rockers Silverbird have a sonic essence that’s bound to strike a nerve. Their debut album, Pureland, comes out on September 18 and they’re already packing them in whenever they play The Big Apple. Started by songwriter Tim Barr (who actually used to be part of pop artist Lana Del Rey’s backing band), Silverbird’s hooks and catchiness will make you gravitate to what they have going on. Think of Pureland as a tractor beam with each track bringing you closer and closer to falling in love with the band.

What I really dig about Silverbird’s sound is that they have this thing where Barr sings like Gordon Gano from The Violent Femmes and the music is reminiscent of old-school power pop from the likes of Big Star and Sloan. A couple tracks have a little bit of blues to them,  others have a tad bit of psychedelia and a few are even borderline dream pop. In a world where nearly everything is recycled and reproduced, Barr’s band does their own thing and achieves their own identity.

Has Brooklyn become a music scene cliche like Seattle was in the mid-90s? Quality bands have been coming out of there for quite a while now and it’s surprising that it hasn’t died down yet. If quality is what you’re looking for here, then you’ve come to the right place. Immerse yourself in my top tracks off of the Album Of The Week:

If you’re a Jeff Buckley fan, I suggest giving “Brooklyn” a listen. I guarantee, when everything builds up you’ll start thinking of the late musician. The riffs and strums from Barr and lead guitarist Dan Whaley are pristine as well. One of those bluesy songs I mentioned earlier, “45” has some dirt and grease that makes it badass. You’ll definitely be getting down with it right when you press play. With a pretty sweet drum beat, “Lyfe” has a little bit of a droning thing going on with R&B-inspired lyrics.

Silverbird just announced the album release show for Pureland will be happening at The Studio at Webster Hall on September 26 in New York City. Let’s hope they venture out to New England soon. Until then, mark your calendar for September 18 and grab Pureland when it hits the internet and record store shelves. It has to the potential to be on a lot of best of lists by the end of the year.

Stream “Lyfe” here: https://soundcloud.com/silverbirdsongs/lyfe

Silverbird’s Website: http://www.silverbirdsongs.com