There was a time, in the age of composers, when music could evoke emotion without a word ever being spoken. Often, all the listener had was a title, if that, and the music itself. In our days, words saturate the scene more than they did back then, making it more of a challenge for listeners to catch on to what instrumental music is trying to say when they encounter it. One indie artist who has a good knack for conveying something through electronic beeps and boops is Saskatoon's Silent Music (AKA Graham Wall). Hot on the heels of 2024's Taciturn Headphonetics, Silent Music is back with a shorter offering in Owl.

If last year's album was a testimony to childlike wonder, Owl is more of a "lullaby" record. It's not exactly that, but it is more subdued. Also, the title and title track lend the listener to immediately think of the night. While there are more upbeat tracks that emphasize the pounding drums, like "KnOwledge Detective" or "If S Then Q," even those have a chill vibe to them that makes it feel like background music to an evening party that has a little life left in it. There are also still tracks that have a sense of childlike wonder ("Fred See Tomatoes," "Jumping Jacks"), but they don't show the same exuberance as their predecessors on the last album.

That's not a bad thing, by the way. It's refreshing that Wall didn't settle for a repeat performance but pushed himself for a different emotional angle this time around. Also, where Taciturn Headphonetics contained a few "white noise" tracks, Owl cuts the fluff and is better off for it. Wall's brand of music centers around beats and there are a couple here that sound like repeats from last year's record. However, it's that slight shift in the "vibe" mentioned above that keeps anything from feeling too familiar.

I don't know if I'd classify Owl as lo-fi, but it comes close at times. It's laid back and easy to listen to. If Wall's intention this time around was to give the listener a relaxing experience, he mostly succeeds. Silent Music's latest offering may not put Wall's compositions on everyone's radar, but fans of electronic music looking for something to throw on in the background might enjoy having Owl on call.

- Review date: 3/24/25, written by John Underdown of Jesusfreakhideout.com

Record Label: None
Album length: 9 tracks: 28 minutes, 20 seconds
Street Date: April 4, 2025
Buy It: Bandcamp

1. Owl (3:17)
2. Fred Sees Tomatoes (3:24)
3. Mowjow Jowjow (4:13)
4. Knowledge Detective (3:27)
5. A Shy and Torpor Sky (2:16)
6. If S Then Q (3:03)
7. Cool Bucket Bob (3:21)
8. Jumping Jacks (2:07)
9. Sonar Seaweed Barnacle Buoys (3:12)