power pop criminals

JIMMY SILVA - FLY LIKE A DOG (1987)

Seattle singer songwriter Jimmy Silva's death at the age of 42, two days before Christmas 1994, deprived the pop underground of one of its finest unheralded tunesmiths, one whose wryly inventive, offhandedly insightful lyrics were brilliantly balanced by jangly, hook-intensive melodies. After a stint in Vietnam, Silva played around the Bay Area with his band the Empty Set in the early '70s, but it wasn't until the next decade that he was discovered and embraced by indie-pop fans. Remnants of the Empty Set, with guest appearances by Smithereens drummer Dennis Diken and Beau Brummels singer Sal Valentino, salvages some swell songs from the defunct band's repertoire, with the warm-voiced Silva sharing lead vocals with a variety of pals. "Fly Like a Dog" continues in a similar vein, with the addition of kindred spirits the Young Fresh Fellows to the cast. Sal Valentino of Beau Brummels' fame is the lead singer on Silva's Troubled Times. Trouser Press

Fly Like A Dog (254 mb)

Songs
Big House / Think Better of Me / Name That's a Number / Waking Up / Too Late Now / Partytown U.S.A / Faith in Change / Troubled Times / I'm Not Electric / For the Love of Land / May the Second / Tell It to the Raven