Four piece Silent Forum are from Cardiff (but now splitting their time between Cardiff, London, Bristol and Barcelona). Silent Forum’s sound isn’t straightforward. It’s a textured, technicoloured trip that separates it from punk’s three chords or post-punk’s monochrome doom. Rejecting both geographical and musical pigeonholing, they had their first album, Everything Solved At Once out on Libertino Records in 2019 (after Sanctuary+, a very limited edition cassete, was out the year before, summarising their previous five years’ working their way up). Avoiding cliched break-up or party tracks, Silent Forum’s debut album was in part themed around a disgruntled office worker, with an awareness of the tongue-in-cheek humour in juxtaposing corporate life lyrics with jagged punk numbers. Silent Forum have a special magic whereby their music has echoes of every seminal band you ever loved across every pioneering and forever fresh genre of the last 4 decades, yet crammed into edgy, enthralling, infectious songs with a fervent originality and unrivalled energy. 
Now the band is back with its new album Domestic Majestic which will be out on Libertino Records on February 23rd, preceded by four exciting singles.

What They Say: “We think we’ve created something special here. Our album, Domestic Majestic, is about self-care in the face of the difficult and mundane early-2020s, covering topics as broad as working from home and yoga tutorials. It’s funny, joyful, angry, happy and sad, which we hope reflects the confusing decade we find ourselves in. For Yes Man, we paint ourselves, engage in a chase scene, hang with some pigeons, then head to the laundrette“.

“Treat Yourself is our biggest and poppiest single to date. About self-care and mental heath.” Treat Yourself is a mixture of revealing, uncomfortable lyrics paired with animated, uplifting pop instrumentation. You can hear the band having a great time playing around in much poppier territory than they are used to – this is as bubblegum as they’re ever going to get.

Their Mixtape:

Oli: “I’ve chosen two songs that I’ve been listening to a lot in January. One reminds me of my past, and one has prompted thoughts of moving forwards.“

Bill Ryder-Jones – If Tomorrow Starts Without Me, from the album Iechyd Da 

Titled as a love letter to Wales, this record is a lush chamber folk/indie set that makes me nostalgic for Cardiff, a city I spent 10 years in until recently.

 

Spanish Love Songs – Pendulum, from the album No Joy

An Emo/pop punk band intentionally making the move towards projecting positivity into what can feel like a frightening and bleak future is what I needed this January, the line “But you love who you love, I melt when you walk in the room” is living rent free in my head

Dario 

Cartola – Sala De Recepção, from Cartola (1976)

Cartola is in general a gem of Samba, a guy who despite being involved in the music industry his whole life only released his first LP at the age of 60. This song is from his second, and features his adoptive daughter. It has some brilliant melodies and typical Cartola instrumentation and rhythms.

Stravinsky – The Augurs of Spring from The Rite of Spring

The second movement of Stravinsky’s famous ballet immediately smacks you with a rhythmic assault that is quite unlike anything else in the classical canon. Heavier than heavy metal while also punctuated by some beautiful lyrical passages.

Richard

Adam Green – Friends of Mine, from Friends of Mine

A chronically underrated artist that I’ve been low key obsessed with for over half my life. He has had so many eras from the lo-fi grungy LP “Garfield” to the bombastic crooning LP “Sixes & Sevens”. Adam Green is a natural born performer and an “artist’s artist” as proven by last year’s tribute album to him Moping in Style which had contributions from Regina Spektor, The Lemon Twigs, Father John Misty, Frankie Cosmos, The Cribs and The Libertines. If you get a chance to see this guy live – jump at it.

The Fall – Jawbone and the Air-Rifle, from Hex Enduction Hour

I met Mark E. Smith once. He was so drunk he signed my 7” single both front and back. By many accounts a horrible person but quite frankly one of the most spectacular and persistent performers to ever come out of the UK. He never stopped gigging, never stopped shouting and never stopped releasing albums. Right up until his death they were wheeling him on stage. Another artist with an incomprehensible number of eras and styles.

Elliot: “I’ve gone for old and new, masculine and feminine”

Chris Isaak – Wicked Game

This immediately came to mind as a song once pitched to me as the sexiest ever made, covered by a local band I can’t remember the name of when I was about 16, and the lead singer nailed it hard enough that it’s lodged into my brain. I’m not sure I’ve ever found a man sexier than during those 4 minutes, and I don’t even remember his name.

empress of – Femenine

One of the latest additions to my ever expanding low key bangers play list, it’s a little sexy, a little fast, a little slow. I hope it brings adoration for the goddess in your life or within.

Domestic Majestic will be out on Febrary 23rd on Libertino Records. Look HERE for more information on Silent Forum.