Young Modern

In the dozen years following Silverchair’s 1995 breakout debut album, <i>Frogstomp</i>, frontman Daniel Johns battled depression, anorexia, arthritis and a growing disinterest in music. But by the Newcastle trio’s thrilling swan song, 2007’s <i>Young Modern</i>, Johns, bassist Chris Joannou, and drummer Ben Gillies had come out the other side as an entirely different band—musically and spiritually. “Everything will be fine,” the frontman proudly announces on jaunty pop anthem “Straight Lines”, his vocals as loose and spry as ever. With the cool confidence of a young Freddie Mercury, Johns embodies the titular “Young Modern”—the nickname bestowed on him by collaborator Van Dyke Parks. The composer lends a hand on the carnivalesque arrangements of psych-pop mind-benders “If You Keep Losing Sleep” and “All Across the World”, along with the sweeping three-part suite “Those Thieving Birds (Pt. 1)/Strange Behaviour/Those Thieving Birds (Pt. 2)”, an art-rock romp that transforms into a twinkling, string-soaked lullaby and captures both the gut-wrenching paranoia and life-giving playfulness of Johns’ most gripping work.