Munificent
Diorama opens with the lush, sweeping sounds of "Across the Night".
It's an extravagant, breezy song backed by a mighty orchestra, so precious
in its execution that it ably introduces a newer, more mature Silverchair.
Everything about Diorama -- the band's fourth studio album -- is
textured and deliberate, from its stunningly simple cover art to its finely
crafted pop melodies. And, it couldn't have come at a better time, with so
much recent Aussie rock beginning to sound very similar (with the exception,
however, of The Whitlams, Ruteger and just a handful of others). Silverchair
easily prove to their contemporaries that they've got the idea; they're
unafraid of change, so willing to find something, anything to stand out in
the crowd that doesn't involve the same old crash-bang garage rock and smug,
self-important lyrics. Sure, they may have gone elsewhere to find the right
producers and writers to help them, but the fact is, they've realized it's
time to show us what they're made of, even if it means creating 11 pop
tunes possibly alienating much of their scream-at-the-world-wannabe-punk
audience.
The band's transformation has been a long time coming. After 10 years in
the business and with three top-selling albums behind them, singer Daniel
Johns, drummer Ben Gillies and bassist Chris Joannou have seen the highs and
lows of stardom, having experienced it both in their home country and
abroad. Their personal and professional choices have often occurred in the
public eye, with Johns a tabloid favourite thanks to his bout with anorexia
and current battle with reactive arthritis, not to mention his long-term
relationship with fellow chart-topper Natalie Imbruglia. With
Diorama, the guys use such experience to completely reinvent
themselves, becoming almost unrecognizable. The album is jammed with
everything you'd least expect to find on a Silverchair record -- sweeping
horns, introspective lyrics and soft, haunting vocals. Oh, and that big, bad
backing orchestra.
Take, "Tuna in the Brine" and "After All These Years" for example. While
they couldn't be more different lyrically with "Years" retaining Johns'
well-established, in-his-own-world ambiguity ("Munificent, artless and
ascetic / Playing like a scared, enthusiastic pawn"), and "Brine" seeing him
experiment with language and rhyme ("Busking for change and changing
everything / Feeble fables aren't changing many things"), the songs see
Johns' usual rough voice softened, sounding almost as if he's trying out for
a spot on Broadway.
Johns' fresh, bold sound is a welcome change. He has obviously taken the
time to work on his voice, cultivating the potential shown on previous
efforts, "Ana's Song" (Neon Ballroom, 2000), "Abuse Me" and "Pop Song
for Us Rejects" (both Freak Show, 1997) leaving the torturous and
dank screaming of the past (see: "Pure Massacre" from 1992s Frogstomp
and "Anthem for the Year 2000" from Ballroom) behind to practice
lilting, Jim Steinman-esque vocals.
Also in the vein of Steinman -- with a little bit of Zeppelin, Deep Purple
and, even Styx, thrown in -- are the orchestral twangs on stand-out tracks
"Without You" and "The Greatest View", as well as "My Favourite Things",
"Luv Your Life" and "World Upon Your Shoulders". There are enough whistles,
toots and tweets in there to rival the Boston Pops, thanks to the glorious
arrangements of Van Dyke Parks (yes, that Van Dyke Parks), Larry Muhoberac
(Elvis Presley, Neil Diamond) and Johns.
Lyrically, these songs also open a door for the band, with songwriter Johns
less apt to make scathing remarks about the upper class or to rant and rave
about what's so wrong with the outside world, and more willing to dissect
his own actions, both positive and negative. As stated, there are some
typically odd lines floating around the place -- "The fungus in my milk",
"Burn the fishplate" and "You found the lock to my dorm / And opened the
door to my trust fund / My vestry" among them -- but generally Johns has
created luminous stories full of confidence and charm. He tackles lost
youth, dying love and the restoration of faith, throwing in some gems along
the way, such as "You brighten my life like a polystyrene hat / but it melts
in the sun like a life without love" and "Love me for my mind / 'Cause I'm a
dangerous heart / When I've got time to kill / I'm coming back for you."
While the band seems to be enjoying their toned down sound, the album does
manage to squeeze in a spattering of hard rockin' Silverchair tunes with
"The Lever", "The Greatest View" and "One Way Mule", yet even these contain
a new energy, building to formidable choruses and retaining the big band,
wall-of-sound feel of the rest of the album.
Bold, sexy, innovative and impressive, Diorama is a fabulous journey,
with three relatively young guys using their industry nous and their influx
of talent to shake things up, making the music they want to make without
feeling the need to follow current, popular trends. I mean, seriously, Van
Dyke Parks? Nice.
— 6 September 2002
