Band of the Week: Silk Flowers

by Pop Tarts Suck Toasted

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Any band that is hand picked by a member of No Age to release an album on his label is gonna get more then its fare share of a look. Silk Flowers is just such a band. Signed to Dean Spurnt’s Post Present Medium label, the band recently came to my attention thanks to Spurnt’s pushing of the group. True he calls them "probably the weirdest band I know" and they definitely live up to that billing but there is something downright catchy about their music, even if you have to give it time to branch out and become comfortable in your ears.

People are comparing them to bands like Throbbing Gristle and Scott Walker (whom they knowingly mock throughout this record) which are fair comparisons. Silk Flowers do dabble in sounds that are out of the ordinary, splicing things together, using synthesizers and discovering sounds that are not what we would conventionally think of as music. The music throughout their self-titled debut is muffled, fuzzy, and extremely no-fi yet can have some beauty to it as well. A lot of it comes from their singer’s deep baritone voice, which is the mocking of Scott Walker I spoke of earlier. It may sound simple or be meant as a bit of a joke but that deep voice actually lulls you deeper and deeper into this album, without it you’d probably be quick to shut it off and move on with your music listening world. Thankfully the voice is in full effect throughout the record and before long you’ll find yourself falling in love with more and more of the record until finally the whole thing is playing on repeat non-stop.

I am not going to say this band is for everyone, they are certainly not, but if you find yourself looking for new sounds and trying something just because it’s different from everything else then definitely pick up this release. Silk Flowers are not like every other lo-fi band out there right now, not by a long shot so don’t even think about shit like that! Seriously though, check these guys out!
Silk Flowers - "Flash of Light"
Silk Flowers - "In this Place"
Silk Flowers on MySpace
Upcoming Shows:
Aug. 15th @ Golden Age Chicago, IL
Aug. 15th @ Empty Bottle Chicago, IL
Aug. 16th @ The Echo Los Angeles, CA
Aug. 17th @ The Knockout San Francisco, CA
Aug. 19th @ Cairo Gallery Seattle, WA
Aug. 20th @ Backspace Portland, OR
Aug. 21st @ 21 Grand Oakland, CA
Aug. 22nd @ Acrobatics Everyday Irvine, CA
Aug. 23rd @ Center for Arts Eagle Rock, CA
Sept. 10th @ ? Brooklyn, NY
Oct. 4th @ Mercury Lounge New York, NY

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