The Silent Years 'The Globe' (Gift Music) Released 19/10/09

The result of ego inflated indulgence or misguided production, cut through most literal interpretations of the term long-player and a punctuated trail of half-ideas and pointless fillers more often than not overshadow all if any decent offerings. The Globe, a sixteen-track commitment is one that The Silent Years don’t take lightly, fully formed and filler-less it instead smacks of intense self-belief and a wealth of championing ideas.

The Detroit formed five-piece seem to have cherry picked from a slew of contemporary acts and past influences, The Doves, Mercury Rev, Vampire Weekend, The Shins, Fleet Foxes and even The Beatles among them. Things that appear too good to be true usually are, but their second album shatters that assumption with ease by basking in its own unassuming glory.

First released in the US in 2008, The Globe is based around the concept of recognising the universality of life; whatever that means, it sounds impressively expansive and not one to pull any punches it is, their collective vision extending far beyond the ubiquitous associations of indie-rock by combining garage-strewn guitars with considered acoustics, scratchy harmonies, stop start spontaneity, 60s pomp and subtle experimentation alongside brass and string intricacies.

Striking gold with a formula of progressive reinvention The Globe doesn’t need to scream, shout, jostle for attention or rely on the realisation that comes from repeated listening, the opening track ‘Out Into The Wild’ more than enough to gently hint at an endless possibility reinforced by its successor ‘On Our Way Home’ which, arguably the standout track, exudes immediate potential realised through the out of body experience of ‘The Sun Is Alive’, the strained and pained ‘Know Your Place’, guitar crash of ‘The Worlds Worst Birthday Gift’ and the elegant grandeur and fragility of ‘Pay It Back’ and ‘Madame Shocking’.

Seamlessly transgressing the boundaries of indie-rock without obvious genre hopping by combining singular elements to form an astounding whole, the sustained accumulation of nostalgic innovation points to the solid genius of a must have sixteen-track album, the high standards of which will raise expectations for any future release.