silverchair: Rewriting the anthem

silverchair need no introduction, but Daniel Johns sounds like a new man, speaking down the line from New Orleans, where he and bandmates Ben Gillies and Chris Johannou are due to play another promo show to Sony indus­ try types and associates. We've already gathered that he's thinner (is the vegan lifestyle good for growing boys, or more to the point, is the inter­national touring rock lifestyle taking its toll?).

But it's somehow surprising to realise that Johns has made the transition from shy, if honest inter­ viewee, to articulate, impassioned and informed artiste. When he talks about the 1997 album Freak Show, he explains that the music had as much integrity as any silverchair release. But he thinks the lyrics weren't up to scratch.

Two years down the track, their new album Neon Ballroom is a revelation - at least in this sense. While largely it's a logical next leap from a band which con­ tinues to confound expectations, there are songs and sentiments which Johns feels are the realest works he's produced. Much has been made of the input of pianist David Helfgott, and the subse­ quent addition ofCordrazine keyboardist Sam Holloway, who will recreate the many details live.

But the real change is this new, personal songwriting style.

Considering Johns' moderately public attach­ ment to Magic Dirt's Adalita, and rumours of various girlfriends in America, it's fitting that this should be the first time we hear him using the L word with intent. But as he asserts, "there's no songs written about anyone besides myself on this album".

"The previous two [albums] were written about various groups and subcul­ tures and my anger directed towards them," he says. "This time around I really wanted to focus on what I was feeling for myself, rather than what I was feeling for other people."

So 'Miss You Love' is a mock love song about the impossibility of finding a true partner. And the pop rock single 'Ana's Song (Open Fire)' is more about dysfunction than affection, a theme that runs through the album and a narrative which seems to fit Johns' past couple of years. 

"'Ana's Song' is about someone hiding behind a psychological disorder," Johns explains, "whether it be an eating disorder, depression or anxiety, kind of hiding behind it, trying to escape reality by re­ sorting to anxiety... Basically I was using a lot of psychological things I was going through as an excuse, as a boundary, as a way to stop people getting into my life."

As he asserts, it's largely autobiographical, and as song titles like 'Black Tangled Heart' and 'Dearest Helpless' suggest, there are issues to be dredged here. Poems have been turned into impressionistic songs, maintaining the sense of revelation.

"Lyrically 'Dearest Helpless' is about not being able to find someone that's compatible with you and not being able to experience love outside the family," he says, "and just basically thinking for myself, if I ever did find someone that was right, whether I'd actually be able to devote myself to them or to love in the right way. It's just doubting yourself."

When asked what would stop him from loving, his answer is simple. "I'm very cynical about' people a lot of the time. I dunno, I think I'm just very paranoid."

So what of the Anthem?

First single 'Anthem For the Year 2000' seems to have divided silverchair fans. The politically en­ gaged, stomp-along rockers who appreciate what must be the first real cohesive millennial pop rock cash in (at least since Prince's '1999') love it. And those who can't handle the didactic, pained tone... don't. But whatever your feelings, rest assured. Pur­ pose-built for the festival crowds, with its sloganeering and 'We Will Rock You' swing, our first taste of Neon Ballroom is no indicator of the majority of the band's third full-length outing.

Rather, it's the antithesis of Johns' newest statement of intent - opener/opus 'Emotion Sickness' - a six-minute psychodrama driven by the pomp and import of neo-classical masters.

At this stage Johns seems satisfied by the idea that Page and Plant, if not Wagner, would be proud. But 'Emotion Sickness' does herald another step for the band, beyond the Led Zeppelin-influenced cfassi­ cal-rock offerings of Freak Show.

"I really wanted to make an album which was unpredictable, and treat it like I would treat writing a film," says Johns. "Just have lots of turns and twits; just when people think they know what the record's about, to have a new lyrical or musical theme.

"I just got a bit sick of the traditional hard rock thing," he says later. "I still really like playing the old songs live but on record I really wanted to have something that was creatively satisfying, that proved we weren't just a hard rock band... I still really like heavy music; all my favourite bands are heavy. I just wanted to do something challenging and creatively stimulating."

On a tour which has taken the trio across the northern hemisphere (Hamburg, London, Paris, To­ ronto, LA and New York can consider themselves covered), silverchair are re-acquainting themselves with the press-the-flesh flipside to their rock dream. Johns admits that after 14 months of touring, writing, resting and recording, he'd almost forgotten about the promo side of the process entirely.

"It was really strange, all of a sudden being a part of the ocean," says Johns. "We're just another ripple in the surf again, there's so much media stuff and record company stuff. Getting everything ready it just feels like the music is just one of many, many parts that we forgot about. We just forgot about all the crap that goes behind releasing a record. We keep doing all this stuff and someone has something to

say about it, complaining that we're not doing enough of this or that... We're all just looking at each other remembering what it's like."

silverchair launch Neon Ballroom at The Tivoli tonight (Wednesday). The show is sold out. Neon Ballroom is out on Murmur/Sony.