The Silent Type - Of Writing/Of Violence

Upon my first listen of Of Writing/Of Violence by Richmond, VA's The Silent Type, I thought I was listening to Elbow. Now, I happen to like Elbow, so this wasn’t off-putting in the slightest. Add to that sweet backing female vocals and an organic, earthy quality, and I think The Silent Type might just have the perfect college music here: It’s thoughtful; it’s deeply felt; and it’s saccharine as all hell. For instance, songs like “Soon Enough We’ll Be Found Out” and “ made me feel like I was listening to the soundtrack to Felicity or something along those lines. Everything is SO SERIOUS, isn’t it? I’m not knocking the musicianship here, nor am I saying there aren’t redeeming qualities. What I’m saying is that it’s just, well, boring. In songs like “Vacant Hotel Lobby,” singer/songwriter Nathan Altice is obviously straining to convey some deep emotion, and he almost does it. But like the rest of the album, it just never quite goes far enough to make it interesting. It’s a soft album, musically and in terms of what it delivers. Despite the utilization of nice acoustic guitars, cello, piano and many other good musical touches, Of Writing/Of Violence fails to capture my attention. And believe me, I want to like this record. I really do, but I just can’t. It’s too close to Elbow and too close to Kings of Convenience yet lacks the originality and depth that make what those groups do work. [www.thesilenttype.org]