silver screen

Cris Miller is the master craftsman who writes and performs as Silver Screen. His Midas touch radiates throughout The Greatest Story Never Told, blending the wispy elegance of acts like Blueboy and Field Mice with more straightforward, Bacharach-styled pop. Miller saturates his songs with jangly guitars, whooshing synths, and above all, good old-fashioned TLC.
These songs are so gentle that you might be tempted to hold your hands over the speakers to see if the notes dissolve as they emerge. Don't be fooled by the dainty dynamics -- there's a whole lot of sound piled on The Greatest Story Never Told. You just have to listen carefully and keep the volume turned up.

This is a romantic recording at heart -- not because of Miller's lyrics, which are often difficult to decipher, but because of the way he delivers them. His honey-coated voice soothes like a bowl of warm soup on a winter evening -- and apparently it's au naturel. The liner notes make it a point to mention that "no pitch correction or 'auto-tuning' devices were used on the vocals". Equally important are the layered effects of the instruments that wander in and out of these pastoral soundscape: these careful arrangements allow songs like "Won't You Ever Know" and "Hello Friends" to ricochet back and forth between irresistible vocal and synth/guitar melodies. Miller keeps his vocals somewhat murky on these early tracks, allowing plenty of room for the glorious instrumentation to shine through.

Even better songs arise on The Greatest Story's second half. "Something To Prove"'s sparkling verse/chorus patterns bleed together like watercolors, making it hard to tell verse from chorus -- which, presumably, was Miller's intention. "She Counts The Rain" is another wonder-filled arrangement, complete with resounding hammered dulcimer melodies.

It's not until the disc's final three tracks that Miller's voice fully emerges from behind the music -- gently gliding over lush guitars on "Rockinghorse Road" and bouncing across clapping rhythms on "Tiny Shards". It is most prominent, however, on "Girl Like You"'s airy refrains, which showcase Miller at his poppiest. With its uplifting melody and echoed vocals, "Girl Like You" promises to be the first of Silver Screen's songs to get stuck in your head. "Throwing all my cares aside / Leaving all of the world behind," Miller sings during its bridge -- and you'll be tempted to follow.

Like many of life's happy little surprises, The Greatest Story Never Told turns out to be one of the greater stories to unfold.

reviewed by: Lisa Green for Splendid - Splendid Zine

Some music is made to be blasted out of a Little Deuce Coupe going 90 with the top down and your hair on fire. Suffice to say, The Greatest Story Never Told is NOT one of those records. But it is sweet as all get-out, with an ethereal drowning-in-sunshine vibe that can be quite addictive. And who among us couldn’t do with a little more sunshine?
Cris Miller of Silver Screen grew up on OMD and Depeche Mode, but you’d never know it from his music. He writes three-minute pop songs full of softly strummed guitars, plaintive echoing vocals, and soothing percussion. The result is a record that, while no doubt somnolent to some ears, will sound downright romantic to others. By mingling classic shoegaze elements with a satiny twee-pop sensibility, Miller hides his energy below the surface on songs such as "Rockinghorse Road" and the bouncy "Won’t You Ever Know." Granted, there are some tunes– the drowsy "Girl Like You" comes to mind – where all the digging in the world couldn’t generate a single kilowatt. And even twee-pop’s most ardent fans can only take so much of it before hankering for something a little more aggressive. But for the most part Miller hits what he aims at, evoking a mature and delicate tenor reminiscent of Essex Green or the Field Mice. Not for all tastes, but it has its place.

The Clairecords label is doing its best to bring back ’90s shoegazer pop in measured and seductive doses; Silver Screen’s Greatest Story is a worthy start.

reviewed by: Marc Stephens for Miami Sun Post - Miami Sun Post

Soft and melodic indie pop by Cris Miller, who has been recording music for some time with several other configurations. This project is a light, spacious, even airy guitar-pop excursion that is as gentle, fragile, and lovely as anything out there. Points can be drawn to Sarah Records, and, before that, the pastoral indie-folk of Creation or 4AD Records of the 80s, but SILVER SCREEN aren't simply throwbacks or retro. This is a sweetly upbeat album of songs meant to stick to your head on a warm and lazy Sunday afternoon. Nice work, and an easy listen.
reviewed by: Godsend Online - Godsend Online