by Sam Goblin (@mistergoblin1)
As we continue to shrink into the algorithmic trash compactor that seems to preside over “the scene,” it’s always invigorating to hear an artist who is so clearly doing whatever the fuck they want. Such is the case with Silver Spring’s own Kjell Hansen, who performs under the not-so-subtly inverted moniker Spring Silver with a rotating cast of supporting musicians.
Fans of Rock with a Capital R will find a lot to love in the song’s first 30 seconds or so, as it opens up with a tunefully slanted riff and familiar trampling drums courtesy of Tosser’s Jonas Bumstead. By the end of the song’s five minutes, however, the listener has a fuller understanding of the disparate parts that make up Hansen’s impressively varied musical palette. Watery, delay damaged guitars swim beneath a warm and malleable falsetto, the likes of which is not likely to be found anywhere near indie rock’s milquetoast top 40, as they paint a harrowing picture of the ocean lapping up our sagging, polluted country. It’s propulsive, it’s groovy, it’s a little bit sad, and the chorus absolutely slams/cranks/slaps/whatever synonym people are using nowadays.
While “Drop Into the Blue” is a fitting distillation of Hansen’s artistry so far (as represented on Spring SIlver’s fantastically crunchy debut EP) it gives you the sense that this is a person who does not abide by even the unstated rules governing DIY, and could be just as likely to switch gears entirely with the next release. You don’t hear people expressing an unquenchable desire to write 2 minute long songs about their pets, but it certainly seems to happen pretty regularly. By contrast, if Hansen wants to write a five minute epic about climate change with two guitar solos and lilting three parts harmonies, then goddammit, it seems like that’s what they’re going to do.