Search - Jimmy Silva :: Heidi/Remnants of the Empty Set

+1/2 -- Finely crafted Brit Invasion influence rock/folk

hyperbolium | Earth, USA | 10/26/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The late Jimmy Silva (who passed away in 1994) was a sadly unheralded pop master-craftsman. His due came late, decades after he'd first played around San Francisco with his band The Empty Set, in the form of friends and musical fans in both San Francisco and Seattle. This CD collects both his 1986 debut, "Remnants From the Empty Set," as well as 1991's "Heidi." The former, recorded with help from Smithereens drummer Dennis Diken, Beau Brummels vocalist Sal Valentino, and Bay Area studio legend Kevin Army highlights Silva's brilliantly catchy melodies and quirky lyrics. The music is caught in a poppy folk-rock crossfire that owes as much to the British Invasion influenced sounds of the Brummels as the earthier paisley underground Buffalo Springfield styled works of The Long Ryders. It doesn't hurt to have Valentino singing the Ron Elliot styled "Weight of the Wind." ESD's CD reissue includes three tracks scratched from the original LP: "The Branch," "Name That's a Number," and "Doesn't Matter At All." 1991's "Heidi" pulls in the Young Fresh Fellow's Scott McCaughey and The Posie's Ken Stringfellow to help on vocals. Silva's songwriting continues to reel off mesmerizing melodies, and Kevin Army's production catches the chiming arrangements with added clarity (particularly in the drums) than the first set of recordings. The songs are from the same vein as those on "Remnants," but with more Byrdsian harmonies and a familiar 12-string on "City of Sisterly Love." Silva was a great, under-appreciated talent who left behind a catalog that deserves to be heard by power pop fans far and wide. 4-1/2 stars, if allowed fractional ratings. [©2005 hyperbolium dot com]"