On it's release date two days ago, Daniel Rossen (best known for his work among the ranks of Grizzly Bear and half of the duo Department of Eagles) did a short set and interview for WNYC's Soundcheck. One of the things he talked about among the sea of news about other people's projects was that he wrote the songs of his brand new Silent Hour/Golden Mile EP as a practice to get back into writing music after Grizzly Bear took a break and he wasn't so sure he wanted to keep creating music. He wasn't even intending to put out the songs. Anyone who has heard the Silent Hour/Golden Mile EP in full should be full with as much righteous indignation (with an acceptable amount of confusion) as I was when I heard that.
On Rossen's new EP, you have 5 songs that are more breathtakingly beautiful, more striking, more instantly transportive than a lot of the music that's being put out today and they almost didn't come out. It's utterly baffling. And yet, the urge to explore and experiment was responsible for Department of Eagles catalog so you have to wonder if Rossen's self-doubt and underselling is really his key strength. Silent Hour/Golden Mile is a collection of unfathomably well-constructed tunes that manage to balance Rossen's love of experimentation with flow - each track seems utterly perfect where it is. Songs like "Silent Song" and "Golden Mile" crackle with intensity while "Up On High" and "Saint Nothing" drift along more languidly but no less effectively.
Silent Hour/Golden Mile is an absolutely stunning record full of layers and layers on rich melodies and Rossen's doleful yet heart-warming tenor. A collection of songs brimming with an intense musicality and emotion. Each and every element of it's composition work together to create an unmistakably gratifying group of songs. Silent Hour/Golden Mile is a record just waiting to be your new favorite purely because it's too good to be anything else.
You can listen to the album on Spotify, stream it on its Bleep product page, and well as order it - it's worth it.
In case you need more convincing, check out "Saint Nothing" from the EP:
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