reax music magazine :: music + culture » Reviews » Supersilent - 8

If you’ve never heard Supersilent before, they may be one of those bands that irrevocably alters your opinion about music.  For all of the conceits of nearly every musician along the continuum between the lowbrow and the annoyingly ideological, regardless of whether they’re any good, the reason we give a shit about the music they make is because we have this idea that it is, in some way, an art form.  And unfortunately, that word gets thrown around way too much, as evidenced by the legions of jackasses that call themselves “recording artists.”  Then there’s a band like Supersilent, four fellas from Norway who’ve been transcending the societal and industrial machinery of the music business for 18 years playing songs that are pretty much unclassifiable and treating rules of conventional musical form like they never existed.  In a word, 8 is a work of art.  I’m not implying that if you don’t find it incredible then your opinion is wrong, but Supersilent presents music that is wide open to interpretation, as art arguably should always be.  They’re usually pigeon-holed as being a jazz group, but you’ll be disappointed if you listen to this album expecting a swinging trumpet solo.  If you’ve ever found yourself looking for music that will truly challenge you to think, I highly recommend diving into the discography of Supersilent (but I can’t guarantee you’ll like it). - Tom Whelan