Review: Silverstein, "A Shipwreck in the Sand"

Silverstein
“A Shipwreck in the Sand”
(Victory)

Long running Canadian screamo outfit, Silverstein, is still churning out records like it’s nobody’s business and their latest album, “A Shipwreck in the Sand,” is supposedly decidedly different. Supposedly.

Like the erstwhile other Canadian screamo band, Boys Night Out, Silverstein’s newest album is a concept record based around some story or another. While I’ve never shied away from concept albums (“Winners Never Quit” and “In the Aeroplane Over the Sea” being among my favorites) it’s a harder pill to swallow from a pop-punk band.

Not to say that “Shipwreck” is a bad album. It is probably Silverstein’s most polarizing record, in as much as the heavy parts are pretty heavy and the delicate parts are very delicate. But make no mistake, Silverstein do what they do best, which is to write and perform catchy songs with intricate guitar parts.

As much crap as I’ll get for saying this, there’s a consistency in Silverstein’s overall songwriting and this album is no different. Concept record or not, they have a formula in writing songs that are fairly easy to digest and while I can’t say that this is their best album, it is, in essence, a Silverstein album.