SILVERCHAIR

Neon Ballroom is the third album from Australian trio Silverchair. A unique fusion of intense rock, classical instrumentation and futuristic bleeps & tweeps, this adventurous disc has a maturity and sophistication that sets it apart from the band's previous albums - frogstomp (1995) and Freak Show (1997). "From the very start I was determined to make an album that sounded different," says Daniel Johns. "When we finished touring the Freak Show album I really thought we'd taken the three-piece rock thing as far we could. I was just getting a bit bored with it. I decided that I wanted to make an album that combined lots of different sounds and instruments that you don't usually hear being played together. Basically, I just wanted to put an end to all the same old comparisons and carve out our own little piece of turf." Neon Ballroom was recorded in Australia and mixed in Los Angeles and New York. Using producer Nick Launay (Semisonic, Midnight Oil, PiL, Freak Show) as well as some mixes by Kevin Shirley (Black Crowes, Aerosmith, frogstomp), Johns and the band deliberately set out to assemble a diverse set of instruments and sounds that would be as distinctive as the songs themselves. The album's title is intended to reflect the collision of new sounds ("Neon") and old sounds ("Ballroom") which are found in the music. This sonic variety also extends to the guest players used on the album. Classical pianist David Helfgott (the inspiration for the Oscar winning movie, "Shine") can be heard alongside the Sydney Symphony Orchestra on the album's epic opener, "Emotion Sickness". The following track and first single, "Anthem For The Year 2000" features found sounds from Australian groove guru Paul Mac as well as backing vocals from the New South Wales Public School Singers. Subsequent songs feature keyboard contributions from Midnight Oil's Jim Moginie, and renowned jazz pianist, Chris Abrahams. The final result is a distinctive, yet cohesive collection that showcases ventures into new territory while maintaining the heavy riffery, grinding rhythms and intense vocals with which silverchair have become synonymous. The CD album contains a CD Extra multimedia component including a six minute short film but young Australian 'film-maker of the moment' Cate Anderson, which accompanies the album's epic opener "Emotion Sickness". Neon Ballroom is a surprising soundscape for any band - let alone one whose members are all only 19 years old. It combines a wide range of unusual sonic combinations and songwriting ideas to create a texture and resonance all of its own. It is as if by combining musical futures and musical pasts silverchair have created an album that is truly timeless.

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