Dublin band Silverbacks are almost two bands in one: songs sung by guitarist Daniel O’Kelly are decidedly more diehard record nerd indie rock, recalling Yo La Tengo, Pavement, The Dream Syndicate, Sonic Youth, or current Dutch band Lewsberg; while songs sung by bassist Emma Hanlon are poppier and prettier. It’s all done via lots of guitars — this band has three guitarists — and their instrumental interplay is one of the most pleasurable aspects of their new album Easy Being A Winner, be it drones, twin leads, or skronky noise. There are also lots of vintage organs, the occasional woodwind and electronic touches, and a couple diversions into dark post-punk and DFA-style dance-rock. If this sounds like an album or band that doesn’t know what it wants to be, Daniel and Emma’s differing styles not only compliment each other but hold it all together and keep things interesting. You can listen to the album below.
For more on the album, Daniel made us a list of 10 songs that influenced the album, including songs by Thin Lizzy‘s Phil Lynott, Yo La Tengo, Television, Rollerskate Skinny, Steely Dan, Liquid Liquid, and more. Read his list and commentary below.
SILVERBACKS – 10 SONGS THAT INFLUENCED ‘EASY BEING A WINNER’
“Ain’t that Nothing” – Television
We always mention Television first when talking about our influences. I just find it really satisfying when there are two to three guitar parts interlocking on top of really interesting lyrics. I like having to listen to a song a few times to work it out properly.
We only ever have two of our three guitars playing the same part if we feel the section is strong enough to warrant a twin lead.
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“Optimo” – Liquid Liquid
Another New York band, there are a few tracks on the record that remind me of the early dance scene in New York. ‘Something I Know’ and ‘Spinning Jenny’ have lead bass lines and cowbell hooks in the bridge or chorus.
Shortly after wrapping up the album, I was lucky enough to come across one of the Liquid Liquid EPs while crate digging in France. It’s a sign, it’s a sign!
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“Peg” – Steely Dan
Kilian was listening to a lot of Steely Dan while we were writing the record. There is a Fender Rhodes in the studio which has made it onto the three albums. For ‘Look At All You’ve Done’ Kilian recorded a Fender Rhodes part for the verses, but the part was immediately cut from record. It was too on the Steely nose, maybe we’ll unearth it in a future reissue.
Fun bonus fact for reading this far into the list, Kilian’s karaoke song on tour is “Only a Fool Would Say That” and he once received a bullet with a monkey carved into it following a performance.
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“Speed To My Side” – Rollerskate Skinny
Our producer Dan Fox turned us onto this Dublin band from the 90s while we were in the studio. He drew comparisons between Rollerskate Skinny and some of our demos (“Flex” in particular). I liked the comparison so we leaned into their madness a bit and tweaked some of the drum sounds and overdubs on the record.
Another fun fact, one of the members of Rollerskate very recently messaged us out of the blue on Facebook to congratulate us on our music. That was a very nice moment.
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“Metronomic Underground” – Stereolab
On “Something I Know” we tried to achieve a hypnotic loop built around a relentless bassline and Emma’s ethereal vocals. It’s something that Stereolab does so well.
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“At Least That’s What You Said (Kicking Television – Live in Chicago)” – Wilco
We all love Wilco, we actually met Gary (Drummer) at one of their Dublin shows years ago. For years I thought that it was Nels Cline playing the lead in the freakout of ‘At Least That’s What You Said’ but someone corrected me and told me it was Jeff Tweedy. As someone who is probably considered the third or fourth-best guitarist in the band, it gives me hope that one day the band will give me my solo moment.
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“Old Town” – Phil Lynott
Ireland’s greatest songwriter. This song and music video in particular makes me really nostalgic for Dublin and an Ireland I never knew. A lot of the lyrics on the record are about a loneliness that comes from being nostalgic for something that I never quite saw or lived.
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“Saturday” – Sparklehorse
We revisited the Sparklehorse catalogue while working on demos for the album. This dive back into Sparklehorse included a Dutch television documentary that followed Mark Linkous around his home in the South, riding motorcycles and rehearsing in his home studio.
Flex is my attempt at writing a song about that part of the states by mainly using the images I saw in that documentary. I can’t put it into words, but I feel a strong attraction to that area even though I’ve never been. Maybe it’s the wildness.
Beyond that, there are keys and mellotron sounds dotted across the album that you find in a lot of the US bands from that 1990s era like Grandaddy, Mercury Rev and Yo La Tengo.
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“You Can Have It All” – Yo La Tengo
Another Silverbacks classic! They feature a husband-and-wife powerhouse, regularly alternating vocalists and mixing styles and influences throughout their records.
Thanks to Yo La Tengo’s records, we have a lot more conviction in what we’re trying to achieve with our music.
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“Driving Through Heaven” – Cory Hanson
And finally for something more recent, Western Cum was one of the records of 2023 for a few of us. All these songs just sound so much fun to play live. Like a few of our songs.