The Script stays true to its sound with fourth album
Album artwork for The Sound Without Silence, the The Script’s fourth album (Photo Courtesy of iTunes.)
By Holly Mercer, Contributing Writer
On Tuesday, September 30, The Script released their fourth album, “No Sound Without Silence.” I have been a fan of the Dublin-bred band since their self-titled debut, “The Script” back in 2008. The Script sound has certainly changed a bit since their induction into the music industry and, if this album is any indication, it was definitely for the better.
Current fans of The Script have nothing to fear, though, because the band still features the soaring vocals and piano of Danny O’Donoghue and impressive guitar and drum work by Mark Sheehan and Glen Power, respectively. The Script has always been great, but this album is truly fantastic.
It all started with the release of “Superheroes,” the first single to come off their senior effort. “Superheroes” is empowering and it comes as no surprise that the song already has over sixteen million listens on Spotify, even though it has only been out for about two months.
“Superheroes” is the kind of song that just commands its listeners to go do something awesome, with inspirational lyrics like “Every day, every hour, turn the pain into power.” This song is very much in the same vein as the very popular “Hall of Fame,” from their third release, “#3.”
What distinguishes The Script from the thousands of existing pop groups is their ability to make interesting, inspirational songs that are not cheesy, which is not an easy feat. Their songs do not result in the urge to hold hands in a circle and sing “Kumbaya,” but instead instigate their listeners to live life and to accomplish something.
“It’s Not Right for You” is another great song from the new album and is another power anthem that encourages its listeners to stop pursuing a path, if they even think for one second that it may not be their passion. I think, as college students, we can all relate to this feeling as we work toward finding a passion to pursue for the rest of our lives during our time here.
The album also features a few ballads, including “Army of Angels,” “Never Seen Anything Quite Like You,” and “Without a Song.” In particular, “Without a Song” is an interesting ballad that questions what various artists would do if they didn’t have the ability to write and perform music. Despite its beautiful instrumentals, the song makes some pretty hilarious observations when it observes that “Dylan would be a loner and Miley would just be a stoner, without a song.”
Where I think The Script is at its best in this album is when it shows its listeners its Irish roots in “Paint the Town Green” and “Hail Rain or Sunshine.” Both songs feature exuberant violin bursts and even include the use of the flute and bagpipes. This marks the first time in the group’s history that it exposed its Irish roots and influences through its instrumentals and I think it was a well-made decision. Hopefully, we’ll continue to see more of this from The Script with forthcoming albums.
All in all, this is a tremendous album from The Script. The album’s namesake, “No Sound without Silence,” speaks to the idea that silence is required in order for any sound to be made. On the literal side, this is logical because, if the world was in a constant state of noise, sound would not even exist. On a deeper level, though, musicians must paint their pictures on silence, as opposed to an artist who paints on a canvas.
That silence is the musician’s outlet to invite their listeners into their world, which leads to something that only music allows—a deep and powerful connection that drifts into the soul and can either drift out or remain well past the time when the song is heard. It is only through silence that this sound can be achieved and as far as The Script’s new album is concerned, I think they should be provided with as much silence as they can be granted, so they can continue to fill that silence with tremendous sound.
