Lush is the first word that comes to mind when listening to The Silent Years. This may be due to hearing Out into the Wild on a good stereo. Earphones simply lack the depth of conveying the complexity of the song and other songs on their album, “The Globe.”

While most indie bands have a rough and raw sound to them, The Silent Years seem super polished by comparison. This is ironic since they recorded in a basement. Vocals are handled ably by Josh Epstein, who shows real range between songs to the point that listeners might question how many people are singing.

They certainly are competent with all the instruments they perform with. There are moments where strings, percussion, horns, and vocals are layered so well, it feels as though there could be an orchestra playing with them. Yet it is the rich harmonies that keyboardist Cassandra Verras provides that often grounds each song. Without that underlying element, a few of the songs would not be as strong as they are.

An organ and distorted intermittent voices harmonizing eerily begin the song, Goddamn You! before being drowned out by percussion, then a xylophone. Nearly a minute goes by before Epstein comes in. With lyrics like, “Everybody’s waiting for a phone call / Said you won’t call / Said you won’t / Goddamn you,” it has all the makings of a melancholy tune, but suddenly the chorus hits. Guitars and drums crash in and the entire vibe does a 180. In the span of two seconds, it has shifted to catchy and toe-tapping despite the lyrics not being any more optimistic.

Overall, there is very little cheerfulness in their lyrics. They speak of greater struggles than the average band attempts to address throughout even decade-old careers. The idea of choice and free will seem to play into several songs, and there is a fear of the inevitable.

Epstein shows he is comfortable enough to write about these “heady” issues without having to be literal in The world’s worst birthday gift, “Everyday, there is danger and stress / An incongruous mess that you’re living / In you’ve turned into it.” Sometimes the meanings of the lyrics are difficult to decipher, like in the song On our way home, “On our way home / We found some shovels / On our way home / We dug ourselves some holes.”

One of the last pages of the CD’s liner notes resembles magnets with words that can be assembled into sentences or phrases. There does not seem to be a rhyme or reason in its assembly or color scheme. This allows the interpretation to be left to the reader, making the page all the more complex and fascinating.

Stand out tracks:
Climb on my back, Pay it back