Silent Night was released in 1996 and was the band's first studio double album.
Black, the first disc, uses a repetiitive, doom-laden riff shared between Swanton's bass, the low end of Abrahams' piano and Buck's pulsing and menacing drumming. Further instrumental additions are gradually introduced alongside ambiguous field recordings and half-heard snippets of dialogue - the latter two elements adding a "concrete" dimensionality that gives rise to a brooding, film noir-like experience for the listener. This is perhaps the starkest recording released by the group.
White is closer to a live performance - recorded, with extra production, in the studio. Here, The Necks' music follows its own path through changing timbral and rhythmic textures - always compelling, always slowly morphing.
credits
released April 3, 1996
Recorded and mixed 3-10 September 1995
Edited at Loopy Green, Alexandria
Mastered at Sony Music, Huntingwood
Written-By – Abrahams*, Swanton*, Buck*
Acoustic Bass, Electric Bass – Lloyd Swanton
Drums, Percussion, Drum Programming – Tony Buck
Piano, Organ, Synth [Programming] – Chris Abrahams
Edited By – Colin Wright
Executive-Producer – Gerry Nixon
Mastered By – Daniel Segal (2)
Producer – The Necks
Recorded By, Mixed By – Guillaume Bourgeois
Artwork [Cover Painting] – Tom Stitt
Graphic Design – Paul McNeil, Ray Maras
Thanks to Anne Zahalka, Gerry Nixon, Robert Scard, Lindsay Barrett
A featherlight love letter to Japanese agrarian life that draws parallels between ambient, field recording, and Brazilian guitar music. Bandcamp New & Notable Dec 13, 2023