Search - The Silos :: Heater

Silos are still on Top

Rich Bailen | USA | 01/18/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This first new Silos album in over 4 years came out in Fall '98. I picked it up at a Silos show during the Summer of '99. I'm probably like a lot of Silos fans in that I owned and loved Cuba and their self titled album (the one with the bird on the cover) and sort of lost touch with this band when Bob Rupe left. What a mistake that was! The Heater album totally rocks out! My girlfriend and I have been spinning this disc for over 6 months now and never tire of it. Northern Lights is right up there with one of the most gorgeous Silos songs ever; and you throw in rockers like Arms of the Sea, Stoplight, I Like You, and Wanna Take Your Mom out Dancing- and you'll never stop kicking yourself for not keeping up with this band."

Salas-Humara in a New Direction

T. OConnor | St. Paul, MN USA | 06/17/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

""heater" certainly is a departure for Walter Salas-Humara's collective, known as "The Silos". While the band members change, there is one person always in the middle of the Silos, and that is Salas-Humara. The Silos' "Heater" could be compared to Joe Henry's "Trampoline"--both are the work of artists considered to be primarily alt-county, or country-rock, or whatever tag you prefer. "Heater" wanders dramatically, and it works.It's full of sampled beats, "uncountry" arrangments, and a definite look away from the previous work. The absence of both Bob Rupe and Manuel Verzosa, were who were key parts of earlier Silos albums may have led to this change, though it seems that Salas-Humara has been evolving for a good 15 years.This album has lyrics just as heart-felt as any Silo's album--"eleanora" and "arms of the sea" are just two fine examples. Salas-Humara still finds beauty in the mundane, as well, as in "Mom Out Dancing" in which either a father or a suitor takes pains to surprise a mother with a night out on the town. Salas-Humara has always written beautifully simple lyrics, that get to the heart of the matter. That is still the case on "Heater".The difference on "Heater" is that he decides to make the musical side a bit more complex. But there is no doubt, "Heater" deserves to be mentioned with the early Silo's classics of alt-county, and with Joe Henry's recent experiments. There are still the classic Salas-Humara touches, like the acoustic ballad "Cold Hands of Fate". "Arms of the Sea" or "Eleanora" are just as emotionally incisive, and beautifully written.Imagine a Silos album produced with a "Bone Machine" era Tom Waits, and imagine further that Walter and Tom argued on how to produce every single song, and you get a flavor for "Heater". Beautifully lyrics, often odd sounds--it combines for an album that some music critic 15 years from now will call "visionary"."

The Silos Go Insane

Brian D. Rubendall | Oakton, VA | 04/23/2000

(1 out of 5 stars)

"I'm a long time fan of the Silos, all the way back to their only major label album (self-titled, 1990). All I can ask about their latest is, what happened? I could barely stand to listen to it once. Gone is the laid back, country tinged rock that the band cut its teeth on. In its place is what can only be described as, depressing art rock dreck. If you're looking to buy your first Silos album, go with the classic "Susan Across The Ocean" or the excellent "The Silos" instead. A sad decline for a great band."