Pat McCay, TJ Wark, Don Ocava, Jay Dyer, James Cuartero
Influences
David Bowie, The Cure, The Psychedelic Furs, Joy Division, Portishead, Nick Cave, Leonard Cohen, Echo and the Bunnymen, The Smiths, Morrissey, The Chameleons (UK), The Violent Femmes, The Comsat Angels, Gang of Four, Sonic Youth, Nirvana, Lloyd Cole, PIL, Calla, Iggy Pop, The Velvet Underground, Chokebore, Low, Slint, Seam, Codeine, Logh, Idaho, I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness, L'altra, Mazzy Star, My Bloody Valentine, The Killers, Gary Numan, "Fables of the Reconstruction" by REM, The Editors, Lush, Luna, Wire, Placebo, Radiohead, New Order, Syd Barrett, The Sound, Helium, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Spaceman 3, Dream Syndicate, The Rain Parade, The Feelies, The Stone Roses, Can...
Sounds Like
"A Strange Labor" Press:
"Indie with Post-Punk sensibilities naturally suggest a keen intelligence with no chance of pudding basin haircuts and Sixties obsessions. Such is the case with Pennsylvania’s The Silence Kit, who are somewhere in that dream chamber that Adrian Borland insisted be constructed in his will and which sympathetic scientists brought to fruition.
It’s a curiously slender balance which keeps ‘Two Halves’ in motion mentally, the drums organic and close up to everything else, the light vocals wending their way through that basic power and the brightly insinuated guitar which returns with a recurring, pretty motif. ‘A New Disappointment’ is a touch rougher but also has a beautiful chorus which managed to be almost covered with melodic overspill throughout, the modest numbskulls. The vocals burst out like a wiggling leg through curtains, the music lurking further back, peeping over his shoulders during the luminous ‘Reassurement’ where they channel Joy Division easily, with some outright disgust and rejection.
‘Eight Years’ crackles slowly into life, a flame-grilled rumpus with eager guitar and all-knowing, superior singing with a circumspect drama in the arrangement. It snaps shut and ‘Am I Missing Something?’ is off and running, albeit in a relaxed manner with a succulent Cure influence caught in the pleasant tumult, although things are more naturalistic than Granny Smith, more basic, the guitar cajoling, the vocals deploring. ‘And If I Ever See You Again’ is similar but more troubled, trembly and touching. ‘Dry Summer’ seems a bit bland, even though it is nicely soppy, droopy vocals and dripping guitar united, then the vicious little ‘Linguist’ bustles along sharply, stampy and hot, a fissure in their psyche opening up.
‘You Can’t Be Serious’ is thicker and slicker, and gloomier, as more variety comes out of their casually shrouded sound, which shows how much depth they actually have as nothing which seems so easy ever is. ‘Geometric’ frays angrily, rawly, ‘Missing The Point’ sighs warmly, harmlessly, and ‘But This Remains’ shuffles off sleepily, and wait long enough for the hidden song to creepily, sleepily end a very smart, diligently noisy record that has nice lows and modest highs, as though situated between The Arid Sea and Bell Hollow (R.I.P.), so if that’s your thing you’ll be delighted. A dignity buffeted and remote reproach. We can all identify with that. "
"This Philadelphia four piece sounds as if they could have arrived from England in the early 1980’s. The Silence Kit takes the finest aspects of bands like the Cure and Echo and the Bunnymen and adds just enough modern style to create a record that is both contemporary and honors the past. Patrick McCay carries the band through his voice, and he makes an immediate impact on “Two halves’, a dark, introspective song that starts the multi-faceted journey that is A Strange labor. “A New Disappointment’ and “Linguist’ will certainly gain the Robert Smith seal of approval, but this band does more than simply attempt to recreate the hey-day of true alternative music. The emotive “And If I Ever See You Again’ and “You Can’t Be Serious’ are both brooding, personal efforts with a lyrical content that could be found in any of Bob Mould’s notebooks, while “Missing the Point” actually ahs a country twang. My favorite of the bunch is the breathy, largely acoustic closer “But This Remains”, as not only does McCay shine, but his fellow guitarist Nick Franklin excels as well. The guys do reach back to the 80’s with the synth pop “Geometric’, but this again does not come across as a band stuck in an age of nostalgia, but the Silence Kit have found a sound that is largely non-existent right now and are embellishing upon it. There are elements of Goth and electro-pop, but A Strange Labor has a certain garage aesthetic about it that keeps this from becoming too processed. In all, a very cool little release and a nice surprise for me."
"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 re-creating a long mummified '60s 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. ... 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..."
"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."
"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."
"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."
"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."
"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."
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"In Regulated Measure" is out of print, but is available in high-quality mp3 format on iTunes and at Amazon.
The Silence Kit plays textured, moody rock music. The band is based in New Jersey and Philadelphia, PA, and was started by Patrick McCay in 2002, as a home recording project. Inspired in equal parts by post punk, shoegaze, neo-psychedelia, avant-garde and indie rock, countless shows have been played and more than a few band members have come and gone through the years.
The Silence Kit released their debut LP "In Regulated Measure," in February of 2006. The album was very well received and garnered many positive reviews. The press favorably compared the band to the likes of The Cure, Joy Division, The Sound, Chameleons, Echo and the Bunnymen, Nick Cave, David Lynch film soundtracks, and more. A live band was assembled to support the album and they quickly began writing and recording for the second album. The band played many shows in 2005 and 2006, sharing the stage with bands like I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness, Early Day Miners, Windsor for the Derby, among others. The second TSK album, entitled "A Strange Labor" was released on July 19th, 2008. It was a split release by Azteca Records and Breakeven Records.
TJ Wark (guitar), Don Ocava (bass) and Jay Dyer (drums) joined The Silence Kit in 2007 and the band has been playing shows in support of "A Strange Labor" and writing and arranging new material ever since. 2008 saw the band opening for Gene Loves Jezebel and a brief encounter and well publicized interview with Robert Smith of The Cure. Good friend James Cuartero joined the band as keyboard player in June 2009. The band is currently working on their forthcoming third album, which is expected to be finished in late Summer 2009.
If you'd like to hear more, feel free to go to www.thesilencekit.com where you can download songs from our album, new demos, live recordings and even some old demos and home recordings.
All pictures & artwork were taken/designed by Sean Carpenter, unless otherwise specified.
Thanks for stopping by.
For more information on us and to download more of our mp3s, go to our pages on NME.com or Podshow.com:
Student-Subway
More thoughts on The Silence Kit
"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..."
"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."
"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..."
"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."
Hey Pat! Thanks for the request. Yes, I think I do understand where you're coming from. The music says it all, my friend! Great songs with an awesome sound! Keep in touch!
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