10/24/11
Brutal Resonance

" Butter wouldn't melt; innocence in abundance, segregated from the Synthpop stereotype with a cutesy, playful aesthetic, Pink as a highly predominant colour, and a swings and slides, 'high-five' style naivety. This introduces Silent Auction. Any bidders? Vocalist Terri has the same appeal that Chibi from the Birthday Massacre has. She has a voice that adapts to all situations and never fails to sound pure and gorgeous - the sole reason female vocalists always stand out to guys, their voices can be so much more attractive or memorable. Terri and Jason split vocals and lyrics for this act, and it appears that the duo do EVERY aspect of the song writing together. Rare! The first track on here is 'Beautiful Mess' - it's insanely catchy, and the band just reminds me more and more of the previously mentioned TBM... the melodies on here even remind me of their cover of 'Never-Ending Story'. Secondly is 'Reverie' - and I didn't expect this. Jason is on vocals, and the track is darker, but it's so bouncy and enjoyable. Borderline Darkwave, and this duo look very much like an act to appeal to everyone. I'm almost smiling, and we hate when that happens, don't we? Can't afford another mirror... Joking aside, just like Silent Auction themselves, this album weaves humour and child-like inquisitiveness with highly produced and expertly written Synthpop. I've listened to this 6 times and not yet found a track I despise. The act go from being Bauhaus-esque in constitution to pure, unrestrained and teasing ('Good Girl'). H on Earth has everything from a curious title to two beautiful vocalists that compliment each other in every possible sense. With tracks like 'NB Sadness', I begin to wonder why I didn't discover these guys sooner, and by the end, their happiness and fun is so catching that I wish I was hanging out with them on a Saturday evening. Mind.In.A.Box doing a remix is the final persuasion point, and for most of you, it'll do the trick. Criticisms : The album lacks the usual one or two tracks that just stand out above all else. It also starts off so strong that it runs the risk of breaking the trend. This being said, it's a fun, bouncy Synthpop CD , and it meets all the requirements."

Reviewer - Nick Quarm - Brutal Resonance
http://www.brutalresonance.com/viewreview.php?id=1251

12/01/10
Grave Concerns E-Zine

" Rochester, NY natives, Silent Auction, began in 1997 as a noise project, but since embraced synth-pop/future pop on subsequent releases. H on Earth is Silent Auction’s first full-length release since 2005’s Falling Forward. The album features poppy, melodic synth-lines and versatile singing by vocalists Terri Snyder and Jason Barbero. H on Earth features 12 new tracks plus two remixes.The album opens with the shimmery “Beautiful Mess”. The track is lushly melodic and manages to be somewhat plaintive at the same time it is upbeat. “Reverie” is a danceable nugget of electro-pop. The track “Good Girl” is an infectious, bouncy romp. “Good Girl” was previously released as a single, and is one of the album’s best moments. “Heart Attack” is a beautifully sung techno-fused industrial song. The original is a slow, melancholy song but the Cosmicity remix is a dance-floor ready track, and a strong take on the song. “Blueface” shows Silent Auction’s chops with creating a big hook in the chorus, though the verse is a little slow-moving.For synth-pop fans, Silent Auction has well constructed songs and thoughtful melody. While some of the more down-tempo songs are less impressive, there are good songs here nonetheless. H on Earth brings a well-developed pop sensibility into their electronic music. "

Reviewer - Robert Eaton - Grave Concerns E-zine
http://graveconcernsezine.com

10/30/10
Gothic Paradise

" This band got their start several years ago under the foundation of Jason Barbaro and Jason Rowe with their harsh industrial noise. img However, the band we know today is quite a bit different at the time of this release. Currently it's composed of the trio Jason Barbero, Terri Snyder and Brendon Bulson and features a melodic electro-pop style with swooshing synths, layers of electronic loops, male and female vocals all over a fast-paced dance-friendly beat. This album comes packed with twelve original solid tracks with two additional bonus remixes for a nice, full body of music.

I have to admit that my first exposure to this band was their satyrical piece "Good Girl" which really churned my stomach. While the electronics are fun, I groaned as I pictured another sassy, sexual-image-driven satyrical band and didn't return to listen to any more for a while. But as with many albums I'll often return and check out additional selections and finally sat down to listen to the album in it's entirety. To say I was shocked was an understatement, what in the world "Good Girl" is doing on this album is beyond me, and why it seemed to always show up as the "hit" for this album when I researched the band is also a mystery. While "Beautiful Mess" still features female-fronted vocals and lyrics right along the borderline of pop music and culture, it remains true enough to the alternative synth and electro genres that it's actually a really nice piece in the end. But as you move on through the album and hear tracks like "Reverie" with the deep, emotionally dripping vocals over the heavy electronics or "Detour" which feature's the female vocals once again, but this time along these more emotional melodic electro-pop styles, then I was captivated and knew this album really had some potential. In fact, if you leave "Good Girl" aside, this is a really stellar album.

As I've been able to listen to it several times over the past few weeks I was pleased to hear one excellent piece after another. Favorites include the already mentioned "Reverie" and "Detour". The male vocals are great mixed with the dark and heavy, yet dance-friendly music on "Reverie" and others, include "Resltess" which has also quickly become a favorite from this disc. Most readers here will be familiar with the unique style of Mind.In.A.Box and the inclusion of the remix from this band of "Reverie" made the similarities really click with me. The tracks with the heavier, darker vocals and styles are quite reminiscent of those from Mind.In.A.Box's own pieces with the darker, deeper vocals, so this remix fits in perfectly with the album. Nearly every track has that moving dance-friendly beat, including the almost ballad-like pieces "Heart Attack" or "NB Sadness". This latter piece makes a great finale to the album (not counting the bonus remixes) and also quickly became a favorite.
So overall it's a nice album. I'm usually more of a sucker for the female vocals, but I have to admit that the deep, emotional male vocals mixed with the dark and brooding, yet driving dance-friendly music really captures my attention. Highly recommended for fans of bands within these related genres.

Rating: 4/5 "

Reviewer - Gothic Paradise
http://www.gothicparadise.com

10/29/10
Side - Line Magazine (Belgium)

" This American duo operating from New York has been active for a couple of years. After several self-releases they now joined Nilaihah Records to launch the cool "H On Earth"-album. The sound of Silent Auction can be the best described as the offspring between electro-pop and EBM. A few technoid elements join in on some songs, but the main spirit of the album remains pop-like. The 2nd song "Reverie" perfectly illustrates their work and reminds me a bit to the style of Namnambulu. There's an excellent lead carrying this song. A song that really gets into mind is "Good Girl". We here get funny and sexy lyrics sung by their female singer. The male backings joining in are adding a nice touch. This song can be easily defined as power-pop. A next song in a similar vein is "Rhythm" featuring a great bass line and technoid bleeps. This is a more EBM approach of making hard and danceable pop music. The fans of the band knew this song from a previous remix-album. Silent Auction unleash all their creativity on songs like "Heart Attack" and "Freedom And Chance". Both songs stand for an intelligent production. The last mentioned song reminds me a bit to the style of The Azoic. There's a similar way of mixing pop music with other elements and the technoid bleeps running through this song are fascinating. This is an album filled with refreshing pop elements, which finally resulted in a fascinating modern electro-pop album."
(ED:7/8)ED.
Band: www.silentpro.com / www.myspace.com/silentauction
Label: www.nilaihah.com / www.myspace.com/nilaihahrecor

Reviewer - Side - Line Magazine
http://www.side-line.com

08/23/10
Reflections of Darkness (Germany)

" SILENT AUCTION was founded by Jason Barbero in Rochester, NY already in 1997. Started as an industrial project, the formation did not assume its current style until 2003 when the line-up was completed with Theresa "Terry" Snyder, after which the band has moved more into the direction of Future Pop, largely shedding its underground roots. After several self-releases, EP's, singles and compilation appearances, Barbero and Snyder, currently working as a duo, now bring forth a full length album. 'H on Earth' consists of twelve tracks of which 'NB Sadness' and 'Good Girl' have been previously released in single and EP format. The latter one is without a doubt the catchiest track on the album - it's tacky but will work on dance floors. There is also remixes of 'Reverie' and 'Heart Attack' by MIND.IN.A.BOX. and COSMICITY, respectively. SILENT AUCTION's dance floor and radio-friendly FUTURE POP sound is influenced predominantly by trance and EBM. The music is well performed and produced but unmoving. Vocals are in overall heavily processed, and, although it admittedly is part of Dance / Future Pop style, especially on 'Heart Attack' the usage of auto tune is so heavy it sounds very 2002. From what can be figured out under all that processing, both members of the band would appear to be decent singers - in which case, less would most likely be more. Other than that, there's hardly anything to really dislike about 'H on Earth' but, unfortunately, the lack of gripping choruses and memorable melody lines leaves the album without hit potential. "

Rating:
Music: 6
Sound: 8
Extras: -
Total: 7 / 10
Reviewer - Hemi Malkki - Dark Reflection Webzine
http://www.reflectionsofdarkness.com/

Blackvector Magazine (sweden)

" Recently joined the US label Nilaihah Records, Silent Auction are here with the brand new album "H On Earth". Silent Auction was formed in 1997 and after several changes in the line-up the band now consists of the founder Jason Barbero and Terri Snyder together with live drummer Brendan Bulson. The debut album "Amber Lights" arrived in 2006 and now four years later the band returns with their new creation in "H On Earth".

With catchy melodies and strong refrains Silent Auction delivers one great track after the other. The combination of electropop and synthpop with the more heavier EBM makes it really great. Overall the production work is really something you can't complain about. A fresh sound with driving beats and clean electronics Silent Auction is for sure a band to keep an eye on and with powerful tracks like "Reverie", "Detour", "Good Girl" or even the touching "Restless" proves that the band can deliver high class songs. However, the tracks "Rhythm" and "Blueface" is two songs that that I feel not simply fitting in with the rest of the tracks.

The album brings you through many different paths during this 70 minute long journey with both up-tempo tracks or even slower songs like the mellow "Fastlane" that got a really nice feeling. As a bonus, two remixes are included from mind.in.a.box and Cosmicity. "

Reviewer - Björn - Blackvector Magazine
http://www.blackvector.se

06/07/10
Use Links

" Aus dem fernen Amerika kommt das Electro Duo "Silent Auction" via Nilaihah Records auch in unsere heimischen CD-Player. Das hier ist mal wieder eines der Alben, von dem man überhaupt nichts erwartet, weil man die Band nicht mal ansatzweise kennt und dann sehr schnell umso begeisterter ist. Genretechnisch müsste man die Band eigentlich in die Schublade F***pop stecken. Da dort aber niemand mehr hinein möchte, nennen wir es mal Electropop ;).

Vergleiche zu bekannten Bands zu ziehen fällt einem gar nicht mal so leicht. Dafür sind Silent Auction viel zu variabel. Während der eine Song an Zombie Girl erinnert, passt der nächste gleich viel besser zu Covenant und so weiter und so weiter.
[Silent Auction] Silent Auction
Dass man sich da nicht so festlegen kann liegt auch daran, dass Silent Auction mit zwei Gesangsstimmen arbeiten. Man kennt das ja. Mann und Frau teilen sich den Job, doch hier ist das auch wörtlich zu nehmen, denn wo man sonst meist weiblichen klaren Glockengesang hört, der von einem grunzenden Shouter unterlegt wird, ist diese Form des Duetts bei Silent Auction nicht gegenwärtig. Hier singt immer nur einer und das hübsch abwechselnd. Das gibt natürlich jede Menge gestalterischen Spielraum, den man auch vollends auszunutzen versteht. Eine der ganz großen Stärken auf diesem Album ist das untrügliche Gespür für Melodien und Rhythmik. Silent Auction haben es nämlich gar nicht nötig, mit anderen Bands verglichen zu werden, auch wenn man das natürlich sehr gerne tut. Hier ist Silent Auction und jeder, der sich für Electropop begeistern kann, sollte mal ein Ohr wagen. Im Pressetext heißt es lapidar: "Silent Auction works to create a clean fusion between the underground and mainstream". Diese Fusion ist mehr als gelungen. Harte, EBM-lastige Beats treffen auf absolute Mainstream-taugliche Refrains und dies in einigen Variationen. Einzelne Songs möchte ich gar nicht hervorheben, da jeder für sich stehend funktioniert. Abgerundet wird das Album durch zwei Remix- Versionen, von denen mir vor allem der Mind.In.A.Box Remix sehr zusagt. "

Also: Ohren auf und ran an "H On Earth".

Reviewer - Markus - Use Links
http://www.uselinks.de

11/01/09
Props from Informatik's blog

" The opening band showed up (Silent Auction) and they were cool. "

" So we missed a bit of the set from Silent Auction, but what we heard was good. "

" we want to thank all our new friends in rochester: nancy (promoter), josh (sound), mary, danny, dean, terri and silent auction, jessica and rabbit, cedric, all the folks at california brew haus, all the folks at vertex, and everyone else we may have met and whose names we may have forgotten (well, we did drink a lot). you guys rock!! "

Full blog Entry - http://www.myspace.com/informatik/blog
Band Website - http://www.nymphomatik.com/

A Different Drum

" Silent Auction is a band to watch as they emerge from the underground, playing a great combination of catchy tunes, edgy lyrical sarcasm, and quality electronic production. "

Reviewer - Todd Durrant - A Different Drum
http://www.adifferentdrum.com/