Order Of Silence – “Solemn Monday”

Order Of Silence – “Solemn Monday” – Single Review

Wow!  Doesn’t happen too often, but I was not expecting what I heard when I clicked on this new single here.  Order Of Silence…like…that sounds like it’s gonna be a Metal band, don’t it?  Not just a Metal band, but like…probably one of the ones I wouldn’t want to be listening to with a mid-80s to early 90s style too.  Yet here we are, I’ve pushed play, and Order Of Silence doesn’t sound anything like that at all.

Which I suppose…should possibly give this song an advantage?  I like to be surprised, and like I said, the sound I got in listening to “Solemn Monday” was just about anything but what I thought I was in-store for.  The real question is – am I enjoying this more than what I thought I was going to be listening to?

And the answer to that is an obvious…umm…

…well, it’s clearly…uhh…I mean…

…ohhh boy…here we go…

So look…I think there are a couple of ways to examine a song like this, so let’s start with the positives.  On the good side of things, I feel like Order Of Silence essentially got just about the maximum potential outta their tune, and of course that’s always a good thing.  Heck, if I was judging by the very first verse, I’d tell ya that Order Of Silence even has a few similarities to sounds I enjoy on R.E.M.’s debut album that are rooted in the qualities of the vocal pattern & melody…it’d be impossible for me not to notice that as their biggest fan…but it might be a bit closer to acoustic tunes by 54-40 (A much more Canadian reference that likely doesn’t apply that much to a band based outta Nashville).  Anyhow.  The song itself, is played well…I don’t really hear a whole lot that I’d change about “Solemn Monday” if Order Of Silence had given this cut the green light to be recorded.  It’s not a tremendously demanding tune in terms of musicianship and whatnot…it’s ultimately pretty laidback, and it sounds like both Order Of Silence’s main members in Graham Perry & Brad Cole hold their own with confidence.  Earned confidence, mind you…from the looks of things online, Order Of Silence existed in some form long ago, back in the 80s.  If you do some digging, you’ll find previous singles like “Lemme Get You Down” released back in 2010 some twenty-five years past when the band was first formed, before they eventually go on to release their self-titled record this year back in September.  Obviously there’s a lot of history here, and I’m sure we’re all just scratching the surface of what they’d be jawing about nostalgically over a beer or two – and in their own words, they reunited to “record and release the record the band never recorded.”

And hey, if you’ve got the means to do it, and you’ve rekindled the passion for the craft & such, who could blame a couple of guys like Graham & Brad for wanting to reach back into the past to favor the present.  If the world has never heard these tunes until now, then don’t they have a right to finally be recorded?  Isn’t that in fact, almost even more incentive to make sure their songs exist to be listened to?  Even I’ve said myself that if the whole world hasn’t heard what you create then you’ve got every right and reason to keep on pushing your music out there until that very situation is permanently rectified.

But…

I’m also a person that has a harder time looking back when it comes to what I do creatively.  I’m very much an in-the-moment type of person, and rarely, if ever, would I want to go back & revisit something I’d done long ago for any reasons I can think of.  One of the main reasons I consistently feel that way, is that what we create, in whatever form be it physical art, or music, or whatever – this would even apply theoretically to business models, company values, and on and on – what we do, regardless of whether or not we realize it at the time, ends up carrying a date with it.  You can recognize artwork that belongs to a certain era – you know what I mean?  Music is very much the same way, and even though the warmth of the production on “Solemn Monday” would have you believing this is a modern-day tune, the design is coming from a whole different era.  Now…I’m not saying that’s WRONG, because it’s not – we all hear bands and artists we consider to be ‘throwback’ sounds all the time, and many people even seek that stuff out.  If that’s you, all the more power to ya – no judgements here.  When it comes to the art of making music however…I dunno y’all…I run into so many folks that have kept songs in their back pockets for decades or whatever, and think that it can be a great idea to revisit them whenever they finally get the time…but I’ve never been convinced that’s always a great idea.  Obviously if the material was truly exceptional in an undeniable way that every ear could hear it, or a song or an album was ahead of its time, then of course I’d be as onboard as anyone else…but I’m not entirely sure “Solemn Monday” fits that description.  This is a good song, played well – I’m not disputing that, to be clear.  My point is, why would we go back in time to rescue decent material, when you might very well be capable of creating next-level stuff now?  All that time and experience has to add up to something, doesn’t it?  “Solemn Monday” is alright…I’m really not objecting to it…but at the same time, I’m not wowed by it either, and I don’t really feel like it’s too much of anything that we haven’t heard in a variety of ways by this point in music’s history either, you follow me?  My concern is that Brad and Graham likely have that much more they could bring to a new sound together.  For all I know, “Solemn Monday” might even BE a new song, but it might still carry the weight of trying to do what Order Of Silence did so long ago, some 35 years back when the band first began.  I’m all for doin’ what you wanna do in music, and if they’re having a good time, then truly that’s all that ever matters…but personally, I still have to call things like I hear’em, and I just feel like “Solemn Monday” is missing that special spark that would make us all wanna come back to it again and again.  So if it’s actually an old song from their catalog of cuts from way back when, then I’m not so sure they made the wisest decision to bring this one back…and if it’s a new tune that simply carries an old sound to it, then I’d probably tell’em that this needs a more relevant approach if it’s going to compete for the time of all those potential listening ears, and reach’em with all that’s out there.  As it stands…it’s decent, it’s alright, it’s good enough, and still enjoyable…but like I would say to any of you out there that would submit something I’d describe as such…is that what you were looking to create?  I want more outta these guys, because I know the talent is there…but admittedly, this ain’t bad.

Find music by Order Of Silence at Bandcamp here:  https://orderofsilence.bandcamp.com

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