Nothing silent here

Silent Scenery wants to give listeners a taste of what emotions sound like... through music, writes LIN MEI ZHEN

LOCAL band Silent Scenery is obsessed with finding ways to capture moods and emotions through its songs. The band’s compositions range from sprawling instrumentals to ethereally sung pieces.

The group recently released a debut recording titled When We Escape From The Moonlight.

Besides being locally released, When We Escape, was picked up by Thailand’s independent label, Finalkid Group, and Silent Scenery recently did album launch shows in both Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok.

“We took seven months to record and, because we didn’t have much of a budget, we did everything ourselves.

“The music focuses on guitar melodies with very little singing,” says the band’s singer-guitarist, Chan Kien Kit.

The 23-year-old started recording under the band name in 2004 on his own and slowly looked for different members over the years.

Band members have come and gone, but Chan stayed as he wanted to create a unique sound.

The band’s current line-up is completed by guitarist Ivan Cheong, 24, drummer Sawaki Seikan, 16, and bass player Tomas Tam, 21.

“I started this band so it’s natural that I’m always here. But I don’t consider Silent Scenery a one-man band. It requires teamwork to make music. My songs won’t sound as full if I didn’t have the creative input from the rest,” Chan explains.

When creating music, Chan is always out to find ways to convey feelings through his music. He draws influences from films, life experiences and relations with people.

“I like to take what a film makes me feel, for instance, and translate that into my music,” he says.

One of the more unusual results was where Chan got the inspiration for the relatively mellow title track, When We Escape. From the horror films, I Am Legend and 30 Days Of Night, no less. “It’s pretty odd, I know. I was inspired by the feeling of demons being out there. We’re scared, we fear the darkness and we want to get out,” Chan explains.

Silent Scenery is still a relatively unknown name in the local music scene, but Chan is undaunted.

Chan says that “we have a steadier fan base in Thailand than in Malaysia and the fans there appreciate us more.”

“But I think word will get around. It’s like a chain reaction. We played a pretty good show at Laundry in Kuala Lumpur recently and there were a lot more people there for us than we expected.”

Chan and crew will be busy for the rest of the year with more shows coming up. Now that the band has performed here and Thailand, it has its sights set next on Singapore.

“We’ll be playing in Singapore for the first time on Oct 3 at the Esplanade. We’re planning a mini Malaysian tour with another local band, Lightcraft, by the end of the year,” he says.

Check out what Silent Scenery sounds like at www.myspace.com/silentscenery or pick up a copy of the album at a music shop near you.