About this project

We are Silian Rail, and we are raising funds for the recording of our third full length record. We are two long lost friends from North Carolina who re-met in San Francisco by chance, and have been writing and performing instrumental music ever since. Recording this album will mark six years of us making music together. In addition to the full length record, we will also be recording various odds and ends to be added to by a diverse array of musicians and vocalists from across the country as part of a special bonus EP available to Kickstarter supporters and folks who pre-order the album.  

The funds you generously donate will go towards the recording, mixing and mastering of the record and EP. We will be working with longtime friend and collaborator/engineer extraordinaire Robert Cheek (Tera Melos, By Sunlight, RX Bandits, Deftones, etc.). The majority of the recording and all of the mixing will be done at the Hangar studio in Sacramento, to analog tape, this fall. Those familiar with Tape Op magazine will likely know it for its unmatched equipment selection and unique atmosphere. To keep the recording process as inexpensive as possible, and keep our creative environment close to home to enjoy the benefits of collaboration with our many talented friends and peers in Oakland, we will complete recording at our rehearsal studio, before returning to the Hangar to mix and master. In addition to the full length record, we will also be self-recording an experimental collaborative EP. Inspired by recent work with filmmakers and musician friends, and the raw, loose magic of practice space improvisation, we will record some off-the-beaten path material, which we will then pass on, half finished, to an exciting array of collaborators.

The amount we have budgeted for this campaign covers the following expenses: Hangar studio rental (for 4 days of recording, 3 days of mixing), Engineer (for 6 days of recording, 3 days of mixing), mastering, and a very modest safety net in case some kind of equipment disaster strikes, or we decide to spend an additional day making the record even more awesome, or Eric breaks his wrist pretending he knows how to skateboard on the half pipe at the Hangar. Every every effort is being made to maximize our resources, and to work efficiently and cheaply. We are also fortunate to be part of a generous community of musicians who help make this process easier, more fun and more affordable than it otherwise might be.

The material we will be recording is the culmination of a busy year of touring, scoring projects, video making and promoting our internationally critically acclaimed second album, Parhelion (Parks and Records/Subsuburban), as well as releasing two split EPs and an acoustic EP. The songs crafted during this time take the adventurous but melodically rooted approach of our previous releases and add an emphasis on expanded dynamics and diverse instrumentation. Songs range from gentle, echo drenched ambiance to explosive walls of mind-bending intricate guitar riffs interwoven with a blitzkrieg of energetic, criss-crossed drumming. With eric splitting duties on drum set, guitar and foot pedal synthesizer, and assorted percussion, often simultaneously; and Robin evoking a wide range of guitar tones, from tumbling arpeggios to subtle, haunting melodies aside dramatic swells of ambient noise, the overall effect is more cinematic and emotionally intense than ever.