Emo is an odd thing. I know that at this point in time, we are all supposed to hate it. I know that. Yet, I still have a soft spot in my heart for bands that can do emotional and melodic punk/hardcore. So I was in for a treat when I received a copy of “The Silence of Fire” by Burning Daisies Records. There is a good assortment of different types of emocore and indie rock throughout the disc. Some of it is fair, some of it is great. While bands like The Broadband did absolutely nothing for me, Curvature and The Kite-Eating Tree really brought the rock home. Four Minute Mile sound like a good radio rock band and Best Left Forgotten takes the more subdued approach to punk.

I had already come across some of the bands on this disc, such as Time Spent Driving and Desert City Soundtrack, but the songs they put on this disc are very different than what is on their full lengths. The Time Spent Driving Track was an all acoustic number and the Desert City Soundtrack sounded like some experimental noise project, rather than the post hardcore they are known for through Deep Elm records. Nonetheless, both of these bands have two of the strongest tracks on this compilation. Near the end of the disc, next to the Broadband, is a group called the Cream Chargers who seem really out of place on this thing. Both of those bands should have just been left off all together.

The comp shows off bands from around the world, which is a rather interesting idea that plays ok fairly well throughout the record. Overall, a good record for fans of emocore, indie rock, or just good poppy rock and roll.