Some embrace the crisp autumn like a sudden shower during a steamy summer day, but to others, the arrival of fall means the tragic end of sun-soaked days at the beach. It’s no wonder that moody trip-hop is in season. Husband and wife duo Aleksa Palladino and Devon Church of Exitmusic know all too well what seasonal changes do to people–they’re based in New York, a city currently dealing with an indecisive Mother Nature. Perhaps that explains why their EP From Silence (out now on Secretly Canadian) explores “themes of loss, both personal and universal, the destruction of nature, and the destruction of our own nature.” In other words, it’s just another day at the studio for a couple inspired by British alternative darlings Radiohead.
Unlike the album’s title, From Silence is a storm of melodic sounds that crashes through your eardrums like powerful waves. Opening track “The Sea” is a haunting melody with delicate electronic beats, invoking nostalgic memories of happier times. Palladino’s vocals are breathy and fragile as fine silk. Her whispering pleads nearly tremble throughout the track, slowly fading away. “The Silence” slowly creeps along, eventually overwhelming audiences with its sinister, ghostly instrumentation and Palladino’s somber vocals that are certain to leave anyone, like her, breathless. Exitmusic may seem gloomy, but for those still reminiscing over more joyous and warmer days, From Silence couldn’t be a more fitting way to say goodbye.
-Stephanie Nolasco
