Silkworm: Developer ---Ink Blot Magazine

Silkworm: Developer

at a glance...

Hometown: Missoula, MO
Year Formed: 1987

Members:
Andy Cohen -guitar, vocals
Michael Dahlquist -drums
Tim Midgett -bass, vocals

Bands In The Family:
Ein Heit, Comsat Angels, The Crust Brothers, Joel R.L. Phelps, Pavement

Notes:
Silkworm's universe is one of drunken ballads, barroom brawls, high school crushes, proletarian emotion, high and low-brow humour, and nostalgia. Silkworm have braved the tempestuous waters of the indie world since 1987, steering a course through a bevvy of 7" singles and odds & ends, and churning out six full lengths, starting with L'ajre on their own Temporary Freedom label (1992). This was followed by In The West on C/Z (1994), Libertine on El Recordo (1994), Firewater (1996) and Developer (1997) on Matador, and Blueblood and Lifestyle on Touch and Go. Since the loss of co-founding member Joel R.L. Phelps in 1994, the trio has refined, stripped-down, and simplified their sound. Somehow their 1) heart-wrenching songwriting, 2) lyrics ranging from the existential to the downright silly, 3) early career-launching move to the 'big city' of Seattle and 4) strict regimen of steady touring have managed to get them a mere sliver of the recognition they deserve.

Silkworm
Blueblood
Touch and Go, Released 1998

Gorgeous. A lush atmosphere of splendour. First, the plaintive "Give Me Some Skin." Then the bar-band punches of "Never Met A Man I Didn't Like." Slide into the laid-back "The City Glows" with its soothing melodies and perfect chorus. Next we careen into the abrasive, stadium-sized rock of "Developer," combining the gloss of Van Halen with the crunch of Jawbreaker and that Silkworm je ne sais quoi. "The Devil Is Beating His Wife" starts off quite Trans Am-my before opening into a beautiful, Western-tinged interplay of virtuoso guitar, bass and drums. Around the corner is "Ice Station Zebra," another chugging rocker with Andy Cohen's witty lyrics, and by now you're wondering to yourself, "Could this album really be full of nothing but fantastic songs?"

Yes. "Waiting On A Train" brings it down a bit, with a soulful, soaring melody whose beauty almost brings tears to your eyes. "Sheep Wait For Wolf" slows it down even further into the best power ballad of the decade, with classic lines like "the smell of burning rubber is better than that of any lover..." Where did that guitar solo roar in from? "Goodnight Mr. Maugham" starts off with some giggles, and suddenly the acoustic guitar and drums come in tighter than your band has ever been. I consider "never liked American girls, they're always so plump and white..." one of the best lyrics of all time. The drums pound in again, and we've made it to the final leg, "It's Too Bad...," which careens forward with the explosiveness of Drive Like Jehu or Shellac, ending with a squeal of guitar.

As Tim writes on their website, "Nobody likes this record at first, then about six months later they can't listen to anything else." I couldn't listen to much else from day one.

If you like Silkworm, check out:
Silkworm Blueblood
Silkworm Lifestyle
Silkworm Firewater
The Crust Brothers Marquee Mark
The Replacements Tim
The Wedding Present Seamonsters
Haywood Men Called Him Mister
Hugh Brave Little Soldier
Hugh Brave Little Soldier

-- Lars Rosenblum Sorgenfrei

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