Silas Armstrong
Silver, a song for his mum
Silas Armstrong is a pop artist from the UK who’s been releasing songs since 2021. For most artists, it typically takes over 12 releases and a boat load of gigs to get to over 5,000 monthly listeners and 100,000 streams - but he’s already there, which means he’s doing a lot of things right. He’s got a solid pop voice, a good handle on tones and is not afraid to follow a different path with the song structure, style, or instrumentation - if that’s what’s needed, like the songs “Amber” and “Cornflake,” which we mention below.
In this track, “Silver,” it’s all about the 80’s because it is an ode to his mum. The lyrics, the ad libs, the tones, even the video, are all in reference to her. It’s a bit tongue-in-cheek, but that was the point, and it’s a lovely ode. Here’s our review.
It’s all in with the band from the start, and a great set of vocalizations to set the mood. Straight ahead four over four beat with a a fluid bass line that punches nicely and has a solid, harmonic line. Vocals drop and the images he summons are specific, personal and relatable. His melody fits perfectly between the beat and bass line, over a nice progression of synth padding that doesn’t get in the way. Pre-chorus picks up the intensity with a nice change in textures and chords, and when the chorus comes in the vocalizations come back to serve as the bed. Second verse starts right away with the added instrumentation and building intensity that is tantamount to a well crafted track. Second pre-chorus and chorus continue to build, and by now we’re all singing along with the backing vocals. Bridge is a very nice change! He’s repeating some lines to drive home a point, but the beat changes and there’s some nice drop out accents. Sax solo is a nice touch - a fresh texture in this mainly keyboard based track. Mix and production are absolutely on point, helping to keep the mood upbeat and positive, all throughout the track. It’s a lovely ode to Mum, well done Silas!
Make sure you scroll down and check out his other releases. One of our favorites is definitely “Amber,” a great ballad that features a fine mix between current tones and lush strings. Love the effects on his vocals and the string solo at the end. “So Much for Love” has a great r&b vibe with a dirty, panning Rhodes and a soulful vocal track. “Cornflake” is stunning. It’s basically an orchestral pop number recorded with the Brixton Chamber Orchestra. It has a great change up in the time signatures, a rap section in the middle, and a Beatles like verse . Frankly, I could hear this as a heavy, prog rock tune! You should also check out his socials - he also writes music for kids and their music education - quite the well rounded writer! We look forward to what he’ll be doing next.