Have you heard?: Silverchair - Diorama

You might remember Silverchair – back in the late '90s, the Australian punk trio enjoyed considerable popularity. Granted, it was never on an epic scale – despite a solid international fan-base, the band never really quite made it into the mainstream. The closest they ever got to pop-culture status was when lead guitarist Daniel Johns married Natalie Imbruglia.

To those of us who spent (or misspent) our youth trawling alternative music channels, however, they were something special. And after maturing from their punk-rock early years, they became experimental and took their sound in a radical new direction (a move which, sadly, did not translate into broader success). This culminated in Diorama (2002), which, I can tell you, is one of the greatest progressive rock albums ever recorded.

Diorama combines elements of hard-edged alternative rock with orchestral arrangements, horns and chamber music. That’s a risky mixture that could easily lead in any direction. Thankfully, it works to produce a sound that is both accessible and subtly unique. The album’s most startling feature, though, is its variation: no two songs sound alike, and no song sounds the same from beginning to end. From the opening bombast of 'Across the Night', you realise that any subconscious desires to ape Nirvana have long since been exercised. Admittedly, the band’s punk-rock origins never completely disappear from view, with tracks like 'The Greatest View' and the blood-pumping 'Without You' popping up to remind us of their previous albums. Counter-balanced with slow, melodic, yet lyrically sparse tunes like 'Too Much of Not Enough', however, they only add to the diversity on offer.

To be sure, there are some tracks that miss their mark. The overly ambitious orchestral pomp of 'Tuna in the Brine' imposed upon a standard rock set makes little sense, as does the self-consciously pop-ish 'Luv Your Life'. But there are no filler tunes. Diorama is comprehensively ambitious, and only falls down when it over-reaches itself. Lyrical gems include "I don’t wanna be lonely, I just wanna be alone", "...you’re the fungus in my milk", and my personal favourite, "You brighten my life like a polystyrene hat". Don’t be fooled, though – in context, it’s all oddly meaningful. (Well, maybe not the fungus one.)

The album climaxes on a high note, with the decidedly optimistic 'My Favourite Thing' – an elegant acoustic song nicely blended with classical strings, made all the more lyrically personal due to Johns' love-hate relationship with his craft. The closing 'After All These Years' is a simple piano melody, with off-the-wall poetic lyrics revealing a personal catharsis, all informed by love, tragedy, and Johns’ dedication to music. If you haven’t experienced this album, then you’re missing out – there’s something for everyone.

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