After Silence good, but slightly cumbersome

Jessica Weiser has come a long way since she released her first EP, What Has Happened, back in 1998. Since then, Weiser released one other EP and a compilation album filled with demos and live and unreleased material (Transition - 1999 and Becoming - 2001, respectively). These earlier albums were comprised mostly of stripped-down acoustic folk rock. However, after winning the Jim Beam B.E.A.M Emerging Artist Grant, Weiser set out to show off her new and improved writing skills, and to make a record that truly rocked. The result was After Silence.

The album title comes from an Aldous Huxley quote: "After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music." Judging by this quote, Weiser wanted to make a record that expressed music in its most purest form, in its most intimate form. And Weiser did just that.

After Silence is a very personal record, or at least it plays as such. It almost seems as if it's Weiser's own personal diary, spelling out for her audience her deepest regrets, fears, and torments. Unfortunately, the lyrics, at times, become much too cumbersome, too wordy. Upon first listen, I felt a little alienated by Wesier's lyrics; but I was very drawn to the music itself. All of the songs have great hooks and catchier melodies than previously heard on earlier albums.

Weiser has a great ear for what sounds good and what doesn't. Although her lyrics come on a bit heavy, After Silence has many stand-out songs, such as October, After the Rain, and Shut Our Eyes -- a sincere anthem against the injustice in the world. After Silence is a good, solid record and Weiser can only get better from this point onward.