Press | The Silence Kit
Reviews
[Jon Solomon]
The Silence Kit "A Strange Labor"
"The Silence Kit here on Local Support... That song is called a New Disappointment. If on the first Silence Kit record they won me over sounding a good bit like I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness, on record number two they delve deeper into the back catalog of The Cure for maximum effect."
[Philadelphia City Paper]
The Silence Kit "A New Disappointment"
"...Following the self-loathing trend is The Silence Kit’s moody “A New Disappointment” — its crunchy opening chords could easily be mistaken for a piece of angsty alt-rock that dominated the airwaves more than a decade ago."
[Allmusic.com]
The Silence Kit "In Regulated Measure"
Patrick McCay is for all intents and purposes the Silence Kit, at least on the band's debut effort In Regulated Measure — and admittedly most of the time when one-man rock bands are mentioned one gets images of another power-pop obsessive recreating a long mummified sixties sound…again. Thankfully McCay has a different time to aim at reexploring, namely moody eighties post-punk and lower-key college rock of the day, something which the dark and shadowy cover art suggests nicely without actually being all gothed out. Similarly with the music, starting with "My Name is Another Room," with stark drums, quiet guitar and piano and McCay's understated, gentle croon/rasp leading into a brighter but no less intense second half, suddenly surging with energy worthy of prime Chameleons or the Sound. From there the album's seven songs make their attractively stripped-down, quietly tense way, though if there's a downside to the album it's the general sameness of McCay's approach throughout — having perfected a style with prominent bass and drums, gentle keyboard and just enough guitar, much of In Regulated Measure lives up to its name by not going beyond those bounds. As a result songs like "Sea of My Discretion" almost function better as individual efforts rather than heard as part of a whole, and even louder brawlers like "Shake and Tremble" and "Trying Not To" tend to up the volume more than disrupt the steady flow throughout. Things vary more towards the end, happily: "Dancing to Me" deserves notice, though, for its buried, muffled drums and almost dreamy pace, while the predominantly acoustic guitar/vocal "Ten Miles Off" is compelling much like similar songs by Cranes circa Forever were. McCay's abilities are in place to explore the form and try something different for the future, but In Regulated Measure is at least an attractive souvenir for where he has started.
[DropDeadMagazine.com]
The Silence Kit "In Regulated Measure"
"This Philadelphia foursome make austere music to stargaze by, deliberately melodic and melancholic, centering around Patrick McCay’s dry, Michael Gira-ish voice. Their debut album “In Regulated Measure” (2006) deftly recalls the splendor of Echo and the Bunnymen, as well as Television, Sonic Youth, and Psychedelic Furs."
[Jerseybeat.com]
The Silence Kit "In Regulated Measure"
This Philly/So. Jersey group plays dark, moody rock with a nod towards the goth/noise bands of the early 80's. Sonic Youth has pretty much morphed into a pop band these days but Silence Kit recreates the sludgy tempos, stormy waves of percussion and guitar, and spooky vocals of landmark bands like the Swans and early SY. Modern synth and production keep this sounding fresh rather than retro, but this still reminds me of the ear-abusing post-punk bands that persuaded a pre-emo generation of moody teens to paint their fingernails black and slab on the mascara.
[Leonardslair.co.uk]
The Silence Kit "In Regulated Measure"
In recent times, so many American bands have discovered that it's possible to re-create the darkness of the post-punk times and make it more palatable by adding pristine production and chunky melodic riffs. In these terms, The Silence Kit are strictly "old school" and a more authentic throwback to the early 80s; they would have almost certainly been signed to Factory records if they had been around at the time. They begin brilliantly with 'My Name Is Another Room'; chiefly remarkable for its stunning, aggressive coda. The thick beats and distorted vocals on 'Shake And Tremble' and 'Dancing To Me' are also of great merit. Yet despite the bleak retro noises they make their closest comparisons would be Calla, with whom they share a passion for a very bruised and studied form of paranoia.
[ChainDLK.com]
The Silence Kit "In Regulated Measure"
"This 7 track CD by The Silence Kit certainly sounds familiar even upon the first listening. Yet, it is completely something new at the same time. It's like when you hear something familiar but you can't quite put your finger on why it sounds as familiar as it does. Careful listening will reveal varied aspects of influences from bands like Joy Division, The Cure, Echo & The Bunnymen, and maybe even a bit of The Swans. There is still something I cannot quite put my mental finger on, but this is something that will appeal to anyone moved by the barer forms of Gothic rock from the early punk ages. There is something raw and disturbing yet very beautifully revealing within the chords and rhythms of The Silence Kit. Patrick McCay, founder, lead guitarist, and keyboardist for the band, has definitely tapped into the emotional isolation portrayed by the early forms of his genre. However, he has updated the sound a bit with modern electronics but no so much that you would lose the raw, earthy tonality of the DYI rock band sound."
[Smother.net]
The Silence Kit "In Regulated Measure"
"The vocals immediately strike out with their deep and darkly coated melody that sound just to the left of Nick Cave. Electronic keyboards, soaring guitars, tribal drums and gothic vibes that remind one of lost b-sides by Joy Division and The Cure encircle whispering some deadly intentions that you can only barely get an iota of their breadth. Ever wondered what would be playing in your head as you drift off into a coma? It's "Burst Lethargic", with no puns intended, something that Type O Negative would dub romantic. Fantastic."
[Our Friend The Atom Recordings]
The Silence Kit "In Regulated Measure"
"It sounds very creepy, almost ominous... This would be like the music from Lost Highway or some David Lynch type movie. I just picture someone listening to this song while driving along a dark road in the desert... a Nick Cave feel to it... his vocals almost sound like 70s era David Bowie - where its like that Thin White Duke persona..."
[Schallgrenzen] in Germany
Song of the Week on a German Music Blog
"Der Song der Woche kommt von der Band The Silence Kit aus Philadelphia. Beim ersten hören des Song “A New Disappointment” von dem demnächst erscheinenden zweiten Album “A Strange Labor” fielen mir als erstes The Cure ein. Aber auch Bands aus den Achzigern wie The Chameleons sind ihnen nicht unbekannt. Aus diesem Grund ist die 2002 gegründete Band auch irgendwo zwischen Post-Punk, Shoegaze und dunklem Indie-Rock einzuordnen. Ein schöner zeitloser Song."
[Rockmillieu] in Germany (transalated)
The Silence Kit on a German Podcast
"The band is called The Silence Kit. I (the host of the show) have been a
Cure fan for a long, long time. The singer, Patrick McCay sounds like a
young Robert Smith. The tune is very much like a Robert Smith song. The
accompaniment is very quiet and beautiful. I like it a lot. The band is
also on my homepage and there are three or four songs to download..."
[Radio RAG] in Spain
The Silence Kit on a Spanish Podcast
"THE SILENCE KIT no son los mismos rusos sino un cuarteto americano de tambin extraordinaria calidad. Ms cercanos al slowcore pero con temazos que quitan el hipo. En este mes de Noviembre editan su lbum de debut "In Regulated Measure" que ya podrs escuchar la prxima semana en EasyListening by MAC. Arrebatadores sin ms."
[Delusions of Adequacy]
The Silence Kit song review: "Fifty Things To Do"
"Usually I give songs a few listens when Im reviewing , but I didnt want to listen to this song again. Not because it was bad or anything, but it had a real downer vibe about it and I just didnt want to go down there with it. So if thats what they wanted to achieve they hey, I guess they succeeded. It just left me with an empty feeling inside.
If I was an actor and had to prepare for a really intense gloomy scene then I would listen to this. this is real suicide soundtrack, this stuff."
Articles:
[Philly Edge]
[Philadelphia City Paper]
"And a foreboding cloud'll swirl atop Raven Lounge July 20 when dark Philly units unite for some sad scary mourning, the Silence Kit and After the Fall."