by Silverchair

Reviewed by Jamie Cutter, age 16


It is a rare occurrence that one stumbles upon true art, but that is what one shall find when they take their first listen to Silverchair's "Neon Ballroom."

The album's opener, "Emotion Sickness," invokes a beautiful melancholy, with its heavy guitar riffs superimposed to soft piano melodies. Before the last chords die out, you can hear the technical warfare begin as the tracks second song, "Anthem for the Year 2000," creeps into your headphones. Daniel John's voice echoes the guitar solos in the background so perfectly with the cracking of energy in the popular single "Ana's Song (Open Fire)", an alluring and haunting piece about eating disorders. In contrast, the musical anarchy of "Spawn Again" forces your adrenaline into action as you hear the pain of a thousand animals die as "These are the facts, so eat what you murder/ this is animal liberation, eight billion killed for human pleasure....death becomes clearer through bloodshot eyes..." is screamed into your conscience. Satirical lyrics and soft melodies create the beautiful "Miss You Love," and one soon finds themself drifting off into a world shaped by Daniel John's undulating vocals, Chris Joannou's breathing bass lines, and the heartbeat of Ben Gillies' drumming. When the last whispers of "Steam Will Rise" collapse and the CD ends, it can compare only to the meeting your first love or finishing the last page of your favorite novel; amazement and joy intermingled with the desire to go back in time and experience it again for the first time.

Buy this CD now!