Logo
DiS Needs You: Save our site »
  • Logo_home2
  • Records
  • In Depth
  • In Photos
  • Blog
  • Podcast
  • Search
  • Community
  • Records
  • In Depth
  • Blog
  • Community

THIS SITE HAS BEEN ARCHIVED AND CLOSED.

Please join the conversation over on our new forums »

If you really want to read this, try using The Internet Archive.

Kenneth Ishak

Silver Lightning From A Black Sky

Label: Signature Tune Release Date: 18/02/2008

33504
dionisio by Rob Webb March 5th, 2008

When I first typed the title of this record into my word processor, I misspelt the first word and wrote 'sliver'. On reflection, that would be a more accurate title because this isn't an album that ever really strikes you with the force of its conviction, as the original phrase implies. It's more of a slow-burner (read: dull affair) than that.

So, too, Kenneth Ishak as a solo artist. At least in this country: he's been making music with a Norwegian band called Beezewax for the past ten years (nope, me neither), and this is actually his third outing sans band. The other two were low-key releases in his home country, and this latest effort has also been available there for a while - earning him a Grammy nomination for 'Best Male', no less - and breached the top 40.

Nick Drake, Sonic Youth and Yann Tiersen are listed as reference points on Ishak's MySpace, but you'll struggle to find traces of the latter two here. He might be a massive fan of Thurston and co. - and why not? - but there's nothing approaching that level of inventive, artful innovation here. That's right: back story over, time to stick the knife in - sorry, Kenneth.

Silver Lightning From A Black Sky is, for the most part, another in a long line of records by musicians who've succumbed to the charms of pedal-steel and wide-brimmed hats. That's right, we're in Americana country. Again. Ishak wants to be Conor Oberst. He wants to be Jeff Tweedy. He probably wants to be Ryan Adams too. But he isn't, and the majority of the songs he delivers on this record wouldn't even make it onto an Adams C-sides collection - and, for a man legendary for a lack of quality control, that's quite a put-down.

'Hell' is one of the few exceptions, driven forward by an insistent guitar and Ishak sounding, finally, like he means business. It's a pity the five songs preceding it conjure up images of a wet dog rather than the devil. Elsewhere, he rediscovers his testicles on 'SOS'' bitter finale before promptly losing them again on Drake pastiche 'Bright Time'. Don't get me wrong, I can dig downbeat but it's got to be seriously affecting. This isn't.

Maybe I'm just sick of albums in the style of Silver Lightning From A Black Sky. God knows there’re enough of them around at the moment. But, even in such an oversaturated market, there's always room at the inn for artists of true class. Sadly, on this evidence, Ishak's going to have to be left out in the cold.

  • 4
    Rob Webb's Score
Log-in to rate this record out of 10
Share on
   
Love DiS? Become a Patron of the site here »


LATEST


  • Why Music Journalism Matters in 2024


  • Drowned in Sound is back!


  • Drowned in Sound's 21 Favourite Albums of the Year: 2020


  • Drowned in Sound to return as a weekly newsletter


  • Lykke Li's Sadness Is A Blessing


  • Glastonbury 2019 preview playlist + ten alternative must sees



Left-arrow

SSM

Break Your Arm For Evolution

Mobback
33503
33502

MIT

Coda

Mobforward
Right-arrow


LATEST

    news


    Why Music Journalism Matters in 2024

  • 106145
  • news


    Drowned in Sound is back!

  • 106143

    news


    Drowned in Sound's 21 Favourite Albums of the Y...

  • 106141
  • news


    Drowned in Sound to return as a weekly newsletter

  • 106139

    Playlist


    Lykke Li's Sadness Is A Blessing

  • 106138
  • Festival Preview


    Glastonbury 2019 preview playlist + ten alterna...

  • 106137

    Interview


    A Different Kind Of Weird: dEUS on The Ideal Crash

  • 106136
  • Festival Review


    Way Out East: DiS Does Sharpe Festival 2019

  • 106135
MORE


    news


    The Neptune Music Prize 2016 - Vote Now

  • 103918
  • Takeover


    The Winner Takes It All

  • 50972

    Takeover


    10 Things To Not Expect Your Record Producer To...

  • 93724
  • review


    The Mars Volta - Deloused In The Comatorium

  • 4317

    review


    Sonic Youth - Nurse

  • 6044
  • feature


    New Emo Goth Danger? My Chemical Romance confro...

  • 89578

    feature


    DiS meets Justice

  • 27270
  • news


    Our Independent music filled alternative to New...

  • 104374
MORE

Drowned in Sound
  • DROWNED IN SOUND
  • HOME
  • SITE MAP
  • NEWS
  • IN DEPTH
  • IN PHOTOS
  • RECORDS
  • RECOMMENDED RECORDS
  • ALBUMS OF THE YEAR
  • FESTIVAL COVERAGE
  • COMMUNITY
  • MUSIC FORUM
  • SOCIAL BOARD
  • REPORT ERRORS
  • CONTACT US
  • JOIN OUR MAILING LIST
  • FOLLOW DiS
  • GOOGLE+
  • FACEBOOK
  • TWITTER
  • SHUFFLER
  • TUMBLR
  • YOUTUBE
  • RSS FEED
  • RSS EMAIL SUBSCRIBE
  • MISC
  • TERM OF USE
  • PRIVACY
  • ADVERTISING
  • OUR WIKIPEDIA
© 2000-2025 DROWNED IN SOUND