Album Review: Silver Sun - "Switzerland"

 

Ah the memories. Silver Sun were the great should've-been band of the mid-'90s. Taking the '70s Cheap Trick style power-pop formula and giving it a liberal dose of Britrock meatiness, they should have in an ideal world coasted to Top 20 stardom in the wake of the Wildhearts and Terrorvision, both of whom they definitely owed a sly debt in their sound to (although with their own spin on the formula obviously). Instead, they were lumped in with Britpop whose retro footy shirt clad laddishness never really suited them, and when that ship went down in 1998 or so they quickly found themselves sunk.

They never officially split up though and frontman James Broad has continued to put releases out under the Silver Sun name with various collaborators old and new in the 20 years since with Switzerland being their sixth album no less. It kicks off in fine style too with Earth Girls Are Easy (a tribute to the cornball '80s musical film of the same name) sounding like some great lost Starz song before Fireworks takes a trip into almost Buzzcocks/Rezillos style power pop territory.

Essentially Switzerland is everything you'd want from a Silver Sun album from the quite lovely melodies on the aching Photograph through the spiky God Room to the cut 'n' thrust of Chain of Command which recalls Ash before they went all indie and rubbish. Essentially though, the key thing is that songs like Over Me At All? and Original Girl maintain the sugar-sweet harmonies masking slightly darker lyrics and killer hooks that characterised all of their best work. It's a real shame that this band still seem to pass under nearly everyone's radar but rest assured that this is another much-needed ray of Silver Sunshine to keep our spirits up during these dark times.

NITE SONGS RATING: 🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌑🌑 (8/10)