The Silos Albums (10)
'Come on Like the Fast Lane'
Release Date 5/15/2006
Tracks 11
Label Blue Rose
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
More than two decades on and, following a lull in the '90s, eight years into their most solid lineup -- founder Walter Salas-Humara (guitar, lead vox), Drew Glackin (guitars, bass), and Konrad Meissner (drums) -- the Silos continue to offer reliably muscular rock. Salas-Humara's and Glackin's crunching, high-flying guitars call the shots throughout on Come on Like the Fast Lane, on which the band strips down to the basics -- no additional players, first-take minimalism -- and alternates between melancholically weepy and life-just-rocks giddy. Salas-Humara's rockers rock with a fair amount of zeal (opener "Behind Me Now," co-penned with Steve Wynn, is a highlight) and his ballads, especially the ones with a pedal steel twang, tug at heartstrings appropriately enough, although the album would have been improved with a tad more enthusiasm. ~ Jeff Tamarkin, All Music Guide
'About Her Steps'
Release Date 2/14/2006
Tracks 12
Label Checkered Past
See Album Tracklist and Review
'When the Telephone Rings'
Release Date 1/1/2004
Tracks 11
Label Dualtone
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
When the Telephone Rings bursts out of the starting blocks with "The Only Love," a fiery rocker fueled by some high-octane guitar from the great Richard Lloyd, and for five minutes it sounds like Walter Salas-Humara and his latest edition of the Silos have finally made the top-shelf rock & roll record they've long had in 'em (and almost made with Laser Beam Next Door). Sad to say, the album never kicks quite that hard again, but When the Telephone Rings manages a taut emotional intensity that's both bracing and satisfying, and it still rocks with greater conviction than most anything in the band's catalog. Much of the album was cut with Salas-Humara on guitar, Drew Glackin on drums, and Konrad Meissner on drums, and together they're a tight rhythm section capable of cutting an impressive groove, with a rotating cast of friends filling out the sound. The Silos circa 2004 are a capable power trio who don't need all that much assistance to bring these songs up to speed, and when they want to ease things back a bit, they can still hit the target (as on the moody title cut). And while Salas-Humara remains a passionate realist two decades into the Silos' career, these 11 songs celebrate life in all its glories (as well its occasional indignities) as only someone who's been around the block a few times can. When the Telephone Rings is rock & roll by grown-ups for grown-ups, and the maturity and wisdom inherent in this music doesn't minimize the sweaty fun to be had. Read the lyrics and turn it up. ~ Mark Deming, All Music Guide
'Laser Beam Next Door'
Release Date 2/26/2001
Tracks 11
Label Blue Rose
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Distilling their personnel and their sound down to that of a basic guitar trio, the Silos followed up 1998's reconstructing Heater with Laser Beam Next Door, a rushing collection of garage-style rock & roll tunes the group had been road testing for at least a year. Leader Walter Salas-Humara focuses his energy like on no other previous Silos effort, but perhaps the laser's target is a bit too small. His lyrics are direct, and even at times a bit too simple. The fuzzy guitar attack that launches "Satisfied" sounds predictably tame by the fourth track. "Where Ya Been" sports your run-of-the-mill derivative classic rock power riff, and comes of sounding a bit like a poor man's Foo Fighters. Even so, the off-kilter charm of tunes like "Title of This Song" and "Wooky-Do" (in addition to perhaps betraying a large quotient of N.R.B.Q. in Salas-Humara's record collection) can easily make up for it. Requisite Spanish numbers "Sangre Y Lagrimas" and "Disfrute" are more successful that many of their English counterparts -- not so much for their lingual uniqueness, but for the fact that they are supported by the two best melodies of the entire album. Still, this is a rocking album that breezes by easily. ~ John Duffy, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
This is a rock record with some interesting twists. An L.A. outfit, the Silos are the vision of Walter Salas-Humara. With very little commercial appeal, Heater still offers food for thought. "Mom Out Dancing" is the tune that seems to stand out, while "Cold Hands of Fate" is the most musically diverse. More of an eclectic artistic venture than music for the masses, the Silos create a rather dismal view of the world. Not for the clinically depressed. ~ Jana Pendragon, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
This import hodgepodge best-of/live set suffers for its lack of direction. Longtime fans (probably the only kind this band has left) will find the studio tracks selected from Cuba and About Her Steps and Walter Salas-Humara's first solo album, Lagartija, too familiar, while the five concert performances that feature guitarist Chuck Prophet (from Green on Red) aren't nearly as historic as the single live track ("Just This Morning") that includes founding bandmember Bob Rupe. ~ Brian Beatty, All Music Guide
'Susan Across the Ocean'
Release Date 3/15/1994
Tracks 12
Label Watermelon
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Only Walter Salas-Humara and Mary Rowell remain from the band's original lineup, but a wonderful new batch of introspective originals by Salas-Humara and rocking covers of favorites by Lucinda Williams, Jonathan Richman, and pal Michael Hall make this album the proper follow-up to 1987's Cuba. With the frustrations of major label letdowns behind them, the band sounds rejuvenated. Maybe a bit jaded, too. Good for them and their fans. ~ Brian Beatty, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
For their major-label debut, Walter Salas-Humara and Bob Rupe stick to pretty much exactly the same script as they had on their three previous indie efforts; the powers that be at RCA Records should be commended for resisting the temptation to mess with their new signing. Recorded live on stage at a theater in their hometown of Gainesville, FL (without an audience), there's a freshness to The Silos that suits the songs beautifully. Horns, strings, and accordion color the songs without drawing too much attention to themselves so that all the focus remains on Salas-Humara and Rupe's typically solid tunes. The highlights are many, but the odd character study "Commodore Peter" and the heartbreaking "Picture of Helen" are the two most immediately fascinating tunes. Bob Rupe left the Silos after this album to focus on his own band, the Vulgar Boatmen, and the group was never quite the same after that, but The Silos is a remarkably strong ending to the band's best years. ~ Stewart Mason, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
The Silos' Cuba has become something of a low-flying classic since its release in 1987. The band's brand of rock & roll qualifies as pre-Uncle Tupelo alternative country, highlighted by the addition of Mary Rowell's violin. Despite the album's name, Cuba -- the island from which Walter Salas-Humara's parents fled -- never comes to the forefront. Instead, vocalist/writer Salas-Humara uses it as a symbol, a place in one's mind where everything comes together. While songs like "Tennessee Fire" and "She Lives Up the Street" have given the Silos a reputation for rock & roll, they also excel with gentler ballads. The acoustic "Margaret" is one of the album's best moments, highlighted by an acoustic arrangement and Dave Pearlman's steel guitar. Lyrics like "Margaret goes to bed around eight/I go to bed around one" capture something elusive with small, everyday details. This off-the-cuff quality works wonderfully on "For Always," a love song with the charming refrain, "She knows I'm hers for always/She holds my love for always." These quiet moments offer a nice contrast to slashing guitar and drum tracks, and both styles come together to form a satisfying whole on Cuba. ~ Ronnie D. Lankford Jr., All Music Guide
