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Passionfix — Silent Town
((Not on label) Passionfix music no #, 2024, CD )

by Peter Thelen, Published 2024-12-21

Silent Town Cover art

Somewhere in Maryland, there’s a five-piece band, practicing, working up and learning new material, recording their new songs, and around this time of year – every year, releasing a new album. They haven’t played a live gig in decades, by their own choice, instead choosing to repeat the write – record – release schedule year after year; that’s the legacy of Passionfix. It’s completely understandable, you spend hours loading up all your gear, then get to the venue and set it all up again, only to find less people in the audience than there are players in the band, play your hearts out for a couple hours, then reverse the process. I been there too, way too many times. With each new release, Passionfix refines their sound a bit more, reaching higher and higher in both songwriting and performance skills. The captain of this ship is Dave Kelly, who writes all the material as well as plays keys and guitar, engineers and produces, while the focal point of the band is their singer Kelly Secret, a most powerful and distinctive vocalist that defines the Passionfix sound – I won’t attempt any comparisons, because there really aren’t any – listen for yourself at the link below. The group is rounded out by bassist Mike Kearney, drummer Simon Harris, and lead guitarist Pete Sklaroff; The way I figure, Silent Town is the band’s twelfth album. The opening cut “Strawberry Night” sets the stage for the eleven tracks that follow, and features a couple extra players on sax and piano, a bluesy number where Secret acquits herself with excellence. For a bit more of a rock sound, one can try on “The Box” for size, it’s one of those tunes that gets stuck in your memory for days. Some of the tunes this time are a bit more personal, like “Fire,” a song Kelly wrote about his mother growing up in World War II London. “Shaky Ground” is another thoughtful lyric matched to a powerful and melodic tune, while “Big Red Barn” sports a bit of a country flavor unlike any other in the set. “Loneliest Man” is based on a photo taken by Apollo 11 pilot Michael Collins – a photo of Earth as the lunar module began its descent to the moon; everyone alive was in that photo, except Collins. Silent Town is another superb release that features outstanding songwriting, stellar performances and, of course, great vocals.

Filed under: New releases, 2024 releases

Related artist(s): Passionfix

More info
http://passionfix.hearnow.com/silent-town

 

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