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Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Silence

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Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Silence
Studio album by
ReleasedMay 9, 2000
Recorded1999–2000
StudioIndigo Ranch Studios (Malibu, California)
Genre
Length51:47
LabelRoadrunner
ProducerRoss Robinson
Glassjaw chronology
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
(1997)
Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Silence
(2000)
Worship and Tribute
(2002)
Singles from Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Silence
  1. "Pretty Lush"
    Released: 2000
  2. "Ry Ry's Song"
    Released: November 27, 2000[4]

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Silence is the debut album of American rock band Glassjaw, released on May 9, 2000, by Roadrunner Records. It was produced by Ross Robinson. The album received positive reviews from critics, and has since been cited as an influential album in post-hardcore.

Glassjaw has been rumored to discourage the purchasing of this album due to their acrimonious split from Roadrunner Records. Instead, they encourage people to download their music via file sharing software, such as Limewire. Robinson claimed that the label showed no interest in the band until he pushed to have them signed and showed little interest after.

A remastered version of the album[5] was released on March 24, 2009, with two bonus tracks: "Convectuoso" and a cover of Youth of Today's "Modern Love Story".[6]

Background and recording

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Glassjaw originally formed in 1993 after vocalist Daryl Palumbo and guitarist Justin Beck met each other working for a summer camp.[7] Throughout the next few years, the group issued various demo tapes and EPs and experienced many line up changes. Their line up would eventually stabilize by 1999, featuring bassist Manuel Carrero, guitarist Todd Weinstock, and drummer Sammy Siegler. With this line up, the group booked a recording session with local producer Don Fury, and the demo recording that resulted from it would eventually be heard by producer Ross Robinson. Robinson, impressed by the material, would then show up to a rehearsal, after which he offered them studio time at Indigo Ranch and convinced Roadrunner Records to sign the group.[8]

Recording sessions for the album lasted for about two months total.[8] While all material for the album was written by the band before production began, Robinson did influence arrangements of the tracks "Hurting and Shoving (She Should Have Let Me Sleep)" and the album's title track.[7]

Lyrics

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Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Silence has been noted for its overall angry and negative tone in terms of lyrics. The title track was written about Crohn's disease,[8] an intestinal disorder that Palumbo was diagnosed with in 1996.[9] Many songs on the record were written concerning bad relationships.

The album has been subject to criticism surrounding its misogynistic lyrical undertones, which have prompted various apologies from Daryl Palumbo.[10][11] In a 2017 article by Pitchfork titled "Unraveling the Sexism of Emo's Third Wave", Jenn Pelly addressed Glassjaw and the song "Pretty Lush" and criticised the band's lyrics for being "embarrassingly spiteful to bluntly-stated violence against women".[12] Following the article's publishing, Palumbo and the band made further statements condemning the lyrics, with Palumbo apologizing for the lyrics in an interview to The Guardian; "[the lyrics] deserve scrutiny. You don't talk to a woman like that. It took being that angry to write [the debut album's lyrics], to make it work for my instrument in the band. I was always like 'Argh, revenge!' Fall in love easily and then fall into hate easily. I didn't have to say it that way … It's stupid, you don't speak face-to-face to a woman like that. I was angry. It's offensive."[13][14]

Reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AbsolutePunk89%[15]
AllMusic[16]
Kerrang![17]
Metal Hammer7/10[18]
NME8/10[19]
Ox-FanzineFavorable[20]

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Silence has received generally favorable reviews.

Absolute Punk reviewer Namel praised the songs "Pretty Lush" and "Piano", but said some of the album's songs have "cringe-worthy" lyrics and criticized the track "Babe".[15] In a retrospective review of the album, MetalSucks reviewer Mike Gitter was highly positive of the album. Gitter stated "Glassjaw laid down the bitchslap in-extremis" and regarded the album as a landmark.[21] NME compared the album to "Jeff Buckley doused in napalm, crawling through a room full of broken glass."[19]

Legacy

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Since the album's release, Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Silence has been seen as an influential album in metal and post-hardcore. Keith Buckley of Every Time I Die has cited the album as an influence, stating on Twitter; "This album changed everything for me."[22] Oli Sykes of Bring Me the Horizon also cited the album as an influence on him, and that it inspired him to become a singer.[23] Journalists Leslie Simon and Trevor Kelley included the album in their list of the most essential emo releases in their book Everybody Hurts: An Essential Guide to Emo Culture (2007).[24] Alternative Press ranked "Pretty Lush" at number 77 on their list of the best 100 singles from the 2000s.[25]

In 2022, Glassjaw have performed the album in its entirety during their 20+ Anniversary Tour.[26]

Accolades

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Publisher Country Accolade Year Rank
Metal Hammer United Kingdom The 10 essential post-hardcore albums[27] 2022 1

Track listing

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All lyrics are written by Daryl Palumbo; all music is composed by Glassjaw, except where noted

No.TitleMusicLength
1."Pretty Lush" 2:59
2."Siberian Kiss" 3:50
3."When One Eight Becomes Two Zeros" 4:33
4."Ry Ry's Song" 3:32
5."Lovebites and Razorlines"4:10
6."Hurting and Shoving (She Should Have Let Me Sleep)"
  • Glassjaw
  • Robinson
3:28
7."Majour" 4:00
8."Her Middle Name Was Boom" 4:16
9."Piano" 4:59
10."Babe" 1:43
11."Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Silence"
  • Glassjaw
  • Robinson
5:36
12."Motel of the White Locust"
"Losten" (hidden track)
 8:41
2009 remaster bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
13."Modern Love Story"1:04
14."Convectuoso" (demo)4:27

Personnel

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Use in media

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Charts

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Chart (2000) Peak
position
UK Albums (OCC)[28] 82

References

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Citations

  1. ^ "20 Essential Nu-Metal Albums". Revolver Magazine. July 26, 2018. Archived from the original on July 26, 2018. Retrieved December 28, 2018.
  2. ^ "Vote for the greatest nu metal album of all-time". March 4, 2022.
  3. ^ "Glassjaw's Triumphant Return and the Redemption of Ross Robinson". PopMatters. December 4, 2008. Retrieved December 30, 2018.
  4. ^ "Upcoming". Kerrang! (827). EMAP: 48. November 11, 2000.
  5. ^ "iTunes - Music - Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Silence (Remastered) by Glassjaw". iTunes. Apple Inc. May 2000. Retrieved May 15, 2014.
  6. ^ "Glassjaw's Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Silence to be re-released". Alternative Press. Alternative Press Magazine, Inc. March 4, 2009. Retrieved August 4, 2017.
  7. ^ a b Nijessen, Bart (November 23, 2000). "Interview with Daryl Palumbo from 2000". kindamuzik.net. Kinda Muzik. Archived from the original on January 2, 2019. Retrieved January 16, 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  8. ^ a b c n/a. "Glassjaw Biography c.2000". thegauntlet.com. The Gauntlet. Retrieved January 16, 2018.
  9. ^ Parrarla, Christina. "Touring on a Long Road". journalism.nyu.edu. NYU Live Wire. Archived from the original on February 27, 2016. Retrieved January 16, 2018.
  10. ^ Weekly, L. A. (September 11, 2002). "Razorlines". LA Weekly. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
  11. ^ Sciarretto, Amy (July 2002). "Roll With The Punches". CMJ New Music Monthly (103): 26, 27. ISSN 1074-6978.
  12. ^ "Unraveling the Sexism of Emo's Third Wave". Pitchfork. November 17, 2017. Retrieved May 26, 2022.
  13. ^ Montesinos-Donaghy, Daniel (December 1, 2012) (December 2017). "Cult punks Glassjaw return: 'It was offensive. You don't talk to a woman like that'". The Guardian. Retrieved January 16, 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  14. ^ "Glassjaw's Daryl Palumbo Has Been Apologising For The Lyrics On Their…". Kerrang!. December 12, 2017. Retrieved May 26, 2022.
  15. ^ a b namel (August 20, 2009). "Glassjaw - Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Silence - Album Review - AbsolutePunk.net". AbsolutePunk. Archived from the original on May 16, 2014. Retrieved May 15, 2014.
  16. ^ Allmusic review
  17. ^ Young, Simon (May 6, 2000). "New Adventures In Hardcore | Albums". Kerrang! (800). EMAP: 44–45.
  18. ^ Potter, Valerie (June 2000). "Under the Hammer". Metal Hammer. No. 79. UK: Future plc. p. 69.
  19. ^ a b "NME Review". NME. May 26, 2000. Retrieved May 15, 2014.
  20. ^ Salmutter, Elmar (September–November 2000). "Reviews: Glassjaw / Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Silence CD". Ox-Fanzine (in German). Retrieved May 26, 2019.
  21. ^ Gitter, Mike (August 5, 2009). "ON GLASSJAW'S EVERYTHING YOU EVER WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT SILENCE". Metal Sucks. Retrieved May 15, 2014.
  22. ^ "Every Time I Die's Keith Buckley On Glassjaw's "Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Silence": "This Album Changed Everything For Me"". Theprp.com. May 10, 2020. Retrieved May 26, 2022.
  23. ^ "Bring Me The Horizon's Oli Sykes Says Glassjaw Inspired Him To Start Singing, Praises Linkin Park". Theprp.com. November 1, 2017. Retrieved May 26, 2022.
  24. ^ Simon; Kelley 2007, p. 171
  25. ^ Paul, Aubin (November 20, 2009). "At The Drive-In's 'One Armed Scissor' tops AP's 'Haircut 100' singles countdown". Punknews.org. Retrieved October 13, 2022.
  26. ^ "Glassjaw announce 2022 tour featuring full album performances". Consequence. June 7, 2021. Retrieved May 26, 2022.
  27. ^ Johnstonpublished, Emma (January 19, 2022). "The 10 essential post-hardcore albums". loudersound. Retrieved May 26, 2022.
  28. ^ "GLASSJAW | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com (select "Albums" tab). Retrieved March 21, 2023.

Sources