Behind Silvertwin stands founder and frontman Isaac Shalam, who in all likelihood preferred digging through his parents’ and grandparents’ record collections in his childhood to listening to the chats and downloading songs on Napster like most of his schoolmates. He probably discovered albums by The Bealtes, The Beach Boys, ELO, Elton John and Supertramp during these forays.
Silvertwin recreate this sound of childhood with meticulousness and heart and soul on their debut. Isaac Shalam, who also wrote all the songs for the band, had set himself the goal of creating “an album with timeless songwriting”, which he succeeded in doing to a large extent. In the centre, as with all good pop music, is of course love in all its shades.
Most of the album was recorded on tape by Shalam, along with some overdubs by the rest of the band and session musicians to enhance the warm, authentic baroque pop feeling. The result is indeed a record with a nostalgic feel that seems to have fallen out of time. According to the press release, Shalam yearns to be heard by ears of all generations. The quality of the songs should appeal to fans of like-minded retro-revisionists like The Lemon Twigs or Whitney as well as veteran fans of classic acts that inspired the music – from ELO to The Beatles, Supertramp to Gilbert O’Sullivan.
The album was produced with flair by Foxygen’s Jonathan Rado (The Flaming Lips / The Killers / Father John Misty), who has mentored and supported the band since their earliest days. ‘Silvertwin’ was mastered by Frank Arkwright at Abbey Road Studios and mixed by Cenzo Townshend to give the album the classic polish it deserves.
The ten lovingly crafted songs give one a nostalgic feeling, recalling a golden era of handmade pop music that none of the Silvertwins (and their listeners) ever personally experienced. The result is an album to indulge in. A clear recommendation!