Silverchair has completed work on their eagerly anticipated label debut. The album – titled “DIORAMA” – is currently slated to be released in North America on July 9th. Their first new album in three years, “DIORAMA” is unquestionably Silverchair’s most multi-dimensional work to date. The Newcastle, Australia-based trio – singer/guitarist Daniel Johns, bassist Chris Joannou, and drummer Ben Gillies – recorded the collection in the fall of 2001 at Sydney’s Studio 301 with producer David Bottrill (Tool, Peter Gabriel, King Crimson).
“DIORAMA” features guest appearances from Midnight Oil guitarist Jim Moginie and Australian electronica producer Paul Mac.
In addition, the legendary Van Dyke Parks contributed arrangements for orchestra, brass, and woodwinds on three tracks. Parks, who has worked with such artists as the Beach Boys, U2, and Fiona Apple, is effusive in his praise for Silverchair, noting that “Daniel Johns is the most talented person I’ve worked with since Brian Wilson.”
The first single from “DIORAMA” will be “The Greatest View,” which is set to hit U.S. airwaves in early May. The track was released in Australia in late January to unanimous critical and popular acclaim, debuting at #1 on the Australian Record Industry Association’s “Alternative Singles” chart, as well as #3 on the “Top 50 Singles” ranking.
Silverchair recently played their first live shows since January 2001 with a series of dates on the 10th annual Big Day Out festival tour of Australia and New Zealand. The band is planning a full North American tour to coincide with the new album’s release.
Since the 1995 release of their RIAA double platinum-certified debut, “FROGSTOMP,” Silverchair has developed a worldwide reputation as an inventive and powerful rock combo. Recorded in just nine days, the album became a Top Ten sensation in the United States, driven by such radio and MTV hits as “Tomorrow” and “Pure Massacre,” in addition to tours both as headliners and as support for the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
“FREAKSHOW,” 1997’s RIAA gold-certified follow-up, saw Silverchair making huge leaps forward in terms of their potent rock sound as well as Johns’s moving and effective lyrics. The album, which featured a pair of radio favorites in “Freak” and “Abuse Me,” found the band continuing to expand their fanbase around the world, including Europe and their home territory Down Under.
Silverchair’s third album, 1999’s RIAA gold-certified “NEON teenage alternative-rock combo in both their ever-expanding musical scope and Johns’s increasingly personal songwriting. Tracks such as the haunting “Ana’s Song” and the epic “Emotion Sickness” (which featured pianist David Helfgott, the inspiration for the film, Shine) – not to mention their always-robust live performances – led to Silverchair reaping reams of international critical acclaim, plus top 10 MTV and alternative radio success, resulting in worldwide sales of over 1.5 million.
