The alternative wizards of ‘Oz’ have grown up

Diorama

Silverchair

Atlantic Records

Seven years…

Diorama

Silverchair

Atlantic Records

Seven years after their “Frogstomp-ing” first release, and three years after their last one, the Aussie boys of Silverchair aren’t teen-agers anymore, and their music has changed along with their voices. In their latest album, Diorama, they have reinvented themselves for a completely different, brighter sound.

Gone is the teen-age angst, replaced with calmer, more melodic tunes. Most of the songs on Diorama – which means “world within a world” – are slower than on their previous efforts, and the loud guitar riffs and pounding drums were toned down.

Orchestral arrangements by Van Dyke Parks on several songs complete the matured feel of the album. Lead vocalist, guitarist and songwriter Daniel Johns no longer screams his anthems into the microphone, rather he gets his points across by singing more softly and with more range of emotion.

In the opening track of the album, “Across the Night,” it is evident right away that the trio has come of age: You wouldn’t hear “Yeh let’s just get married shouting baby, baby, babies” on an album written by a 15-year-old.

While “After All These Years” plays, Johns’ optimism comes through as he softly sings, “After all these years forget about the troubled times,” as a piano beautifully plays in the background.

In addition to the 11 songs, if you play the album on your computer, you get a video of the making of the album, a biography of the band, screen savers and wallpaper for your desktop.

It’s more of an album to make out to than to mosh to, or something that would relax you after a rough day. You will find yourself lost in songs that are soft and sweet, not loud and angst-ridden.