Silent Rider

When last we heard from New York’s Silent Rider, they were deftly remixing Laura Mvula’s “That’s Alright.” They return two months later with “Black Crown,” an original work featuring singer Camille Corazón, a welcome step forward in the band’s catalog. It’s another atmospheric production, built on beautiful, airy textures and driving percussion setting the stage for Corazón’s lithe vocals–a package fittingly represented by the cover art, which fittingly encapsulates much of Silent Rider’s catalog to-date: Evoking a sense of mystery and darkness, but never overwhelmingly so, the light cutting through dark forest trees or casting a pretty silhouette.

Give “Black Crown” a listen below. - Pigeons & Planes

Chances are pretty good that if you’re pairing up Silent Rider with anybody, the song is going to turn out to be fantastic no matter what. We have never heard of Camille Corazón before, but with her vocal performance on ”Black Crown”, it’s safe to say we are going to be storing her in the ‘artist to watch’ department of our memories.

“Black Crown” is just a one-off single that is being given away for free, so after you listen to this, simply download it for free below. - Hilly Dilly

Sometimes covering a classic song can go, well, poorly. There are a few songs that should never be touched, and several others, such as Bill Withers‘ “Ain’t No Sunshine,” that shouldn’t be messed with unless you really know what you are doing. Or, as in Silent Rider’s case, you completely flip the song, making it something entirely of its own.

“A dark, autumnal inspired re-envisioning of Bill Withers’ classic, “Ain’t No Sunshine,” is how the Brooklyn-based band described their take on the song, and we think that encapsulates it perfectly. It is dark, moody, and definitely worth a listen on a stroll through a cold autumn night. - Cover Me

There isn’t much that Silent Rider does that we don’t absolutely adore. So it is to our pleasure today to find him covering Bon Iver’s “Skinny Love”. We’re used to Silent Rider sticking to the production, so what’s even better here is that we find him singing on this cover and hitting those Justin Vernon-esque high notes. Very impressive to say the least. Free download below. - Hilly Dilly

Brooklyn-based electronic band, Silent Rider recently released a cover of Bon Iver‘s “Skinny Love.” The electric elements on the track are very understated keeping with a similar tone as the original. In the end, the track ends up sounding oddly like Portugal. The Man. - Surviving The Golden Age

Only adept lyricists dare to tread into the topic of death. Balancing the weight of death’s sentimentality is a bit like keeping an elephant upright on the blade of a scythe: tip it one way and the eulogy becomes wooden, the other and it’s a hysterical affair. Songs about new life and love allow for error and missteps in production as that’s what life is all about; but death is about finality and closure, and as such begs an exacting science in its tracks.

Few artists clear that bar, but a few songs I hold as exemplary are Mirel Wagners’ “No Death,” Radical Face’s “All is Well (Goodbye, Goodbye)“ and The Antlers’ entire debut LP. Well, we can also add Houses‘ “The Beauty Surrounds” (and the Silent Rider remix to boot) to that list.

“The Beauty Surrounds” reminds me of this Ukrainian documentary about hospice patients that I helped soundtrack. The movie’s entire point was about the moment of realization in a person’s eyes when they didn’t deny their reality anymore. There’s a line in this song which captures that perfectly:

“There’s some lights in your eyes that I follow about
But they’re dimming quick, and you’re getting sick,
So now I wander out alone.”

Those lines are delivered so fantastically as to be just fucking devastating… oh, I can’t even handle them. Just so brilliant. - Indie Shuffle

Last month Houses released their sophomore album A Quiet Darkness via Downtown Records. The narrative of the album tells the story of a husband + wife separated in the midst of a nuclear disaster & their attempt to reunite with one another along the Highway 10 in California before their inevitable deaths, each song taking place in different abandoned houses along the way. Real life couple Dexter Tortoriello & Megan Messina made the trek themselves multiple times, to record sound + video at these abandoned houses that are featured on the album.

In support of A Quiet Darkness, the Los Angeles duo will be joining Baths as main support on his national tour, starting May 23 in Portland & wrapping up June 29th in San Francisco. & to get the word out, Houses is giving away a pretty rad remix of their latest single by Brooklyn’s electronic/downtempo producer Silent Rider. - Welikeit.indie

Brooklyn producer, Silent Rider just released his remix of Passion Pit‘s “Carried Away.” He slows down the track to create a alt-R&B/downtempo vibe. - Surviving The Golden Age

Remixes of Passion Pit are perhaps more numerous than any other. They come in a wide array of styles: some end up dance hall hits, while others take a more subtle approach. I’d have to place this remix in the latter category.

Silent Rider have layered their touch on Passion Pit’s “Carried Away,” which was released on their 2012 album Gossamer. And while that makes it little late to the game, there’s relevance in that Passion Pit is currently performing at Coachella (Day 1).

So, for those of you not currently in the Indio/Palm Springs, CA region — here’s a little reminder of what we’re missing. - Indie Shuffle

Watch (or listen – whatever) as Brooklyn's Silent Rider turns Vaticans' "Out Of The Fold" into chest-jutting, gothic-tinged electronic mood music. Arpeggiated vocal samples become inseparably intertwined as a beat rumbles along and bassy background synth interplay adds cinematic swelling and an appropriate dose of drama. I see a darkness, but at least it's something. Grab his self-titled album for free here. - RCRD LBL

Relax. Take a deep breath, press play and shut your eyes– these tracks will take you somewhere. Herbal stimulation recommended. Highlights on the dank dairy from Vacationer, Oppaa, and Castanets. - Earmilk

It’s a tall order to take on the music of an artist that’s as beloved as Bon Iver, one whose songs and albums foster strong emotional connections with listeners, ties far beyond simple “like” and “love.” Covers, too, of well-worn material can be ill-advised; the list of reasons is as great as the number of horrible reworkings confined to the YouTube graveyard.

Luckily, New York-based band Silent Rider avoids the obvious pitfalls, putting their stamp on Bon Iver’s “Skinny Love” while simultaneously maintaining the original’s delicate spirit. The band’s reworking pushes the more haunting qualities of “Skinny Love” to the forefront, building around airy synth textures and echoing accents before breaking into a cathartic guitar-driven finale. It’s a cleverly discrete take that does Bon Iver justice while giving a representative snapshot of Silent Rider’s aesthetic. Check it out below. - Pigeons & Planes

Earlier this year, we posted the video for “The Beauty Surrounds,” a melancholic synthpop song from the Chicago duo Houses. Now, the Brooklyn-based producer Silent Rider has remixed the track, turning it into a spare six-minute throb but leaving its sense of ache intact. Download the remix below. - Stereogum

Brooklyn electro-folk artist Silent Rider may not be all that appropriate for XLR8R, but he does get remixed by those who are—including Tony Quattro, the club-minded producer who happens to also be an editorial intern at XLR8R's NY HQ. Perfect for any night at the club, his remix renders the somewhat algid original track into festoons of juke-referencing vocal chops, climactic builds, and, of course, subsequent hefty drops. After you check out "I Was A Bomb (Tony Quattro Remix)," make sure to grab the rest of Silent Rider's remix EP as a free download, after the jump. - XLR8R

As a modern-day gypsy, I pretty much had Vacationer’s “Trip” on an endless loop when it came out. I love it so much that it’s been on my tumblr’s playlist forever. Yes, I have a playlist on my tumblr. And now I can update it!

Vacationer has released the six-track EP, Good As New (Remixes) on iTunes. It took me awhile to settle on which track to post, but I’ve decided that first place goes to Silent Rider’s remix. It gives me that sunny chill only available in paradise. It’s walking along the ocean until finding the perfect beach hut, with the best music, to lounge in all day long. If you don’t have that memory yet, then hopefully this track will inspire you.

Second place goes to Data Romance’s upbeat dance version, for when the sun goes down, which you can enjoy on Vacationer’s SoundCloud, along with the rest of the remixes. And to hear more from Silent Rider, aka Reed Kackley, visit the Brooklyn-based producer on Facebook, or ask him when he’s going to be gigging in paradise next. - Indie Shuffle

“Skin,” off NYC producer Silent Rider‘s self-titled, self-released full-length debut, has a cold but luring veneer. The song explores the meaning of a word through prominent drum lines, hypnotic guitars and echoing lyricism. Download “Skin” below. - Magnet Magazine

This track was built out of clouds from the heavens. The kind of clouds that gracefully spill raindrops to heavenly melodies like “Beggar,” a tune by Reed Kackley’s now-solo project Silent Rider. This song is layered with dramatic yet soft synths and Kackley’s haunting falsetto vocals resulting in a very emotional track. ”I Was Bomb” is further proof of Kackley’s versatility as a producer- experimenting with elements of dubstep for dramatization. Keep your ears and eyes alert for Silent Rider’s self titled album set to release Sept. 18th. - Lights And Music

More winter music. And Silent Rider actually is a bit of a phenomenon. He totally sounds like a group of people, but it’s actually the solo project of Reed Kackley from Brooklyn. Just stumbled upon his debut album going through my download folder – and it turns out Reed has been emailing Poule d’Or for over a year. Shame on La Poule!

Silent Rider actually did start out as a duo and with a cover a TV On The Radio song in summer 2011. It was only earlier this month though that Silent Rider – now on his own – released a debut album. Twelve tracks of really great sort of downtempo electronic pop. Super good. And totally free to download from his website here. Below is one of his first solo songs Beggar. The album also features earlier works co-produced by his then-band-mate Michael Santiago.
Also, Silent Rider just released this beautifully shot video for the instrumental track Peace Of Mind. It was directed by Philippe Grenade at FortuneFilms in New York. And the 16mm black and white video is more of a short film really – “a dream-like journey following a man’s haunting pilgrimage into the afterlife”. Beautiful. Watch. - Poule D'Or

Though electronic producer Reed Kackley hails from Brooklyn, the haunted air that whips around the pieces he composes under the guise Silent Rider seem very much the stuff of Southern gothic traditions. It's a quality that's echoed in his videos; both "I Was A Bomb" and the even more eerie, "Peace of Mind", which we're premiering today. Have a look and prepared to be a bit spooked. The song is from his self-titled debut, which will be released next week. - Baeble Music

Here’s a darker one for you. This new video by Fortune Films produced for Silent Rider’s “Peace of Mind” features an all black-and-white recording shot on super 16mm film. It’s a very surreal and mystical video portraying the travels of an older man through various different landscapes and locations on his journey toward a life after death. The music is very ambient and calm which blends quite nicely with the atmosphere of the footage. It’s quite a work of art, and it seems Fortune Films really spun out the perfect visual representation and story to go along with the music. Check it out below. - Music You Need

Silent Rider is a Brooklyn based producer, specializing in downtempo, electronic concoctions of the first order. His self-titled, debut album will be released on Sept. 18th. "Peace of Mind", and the rather epic video, is a dramatic journey through Appalachia - Baeble Music

Silent Rider’s “I Was A Bomb” is a song that instantly took me in. I somehow felt like I knew it already. It’s a comfortable journey of patience and experience, unique to each listener. Lush synth’s and gorgous vocals will find a way to hit home.

Silent Rider is the project of Reed Kackley, a Brooklyn-based electronic producer. “I Was A Bomb” is off his self-titled debut solo album, due September 18. Download and enjoy “Silent Rider” below. - We All Want Someone To Shout For

The amount of talent emerging from the borough of Brooklyn can often be overwhelming and daunting. Due to the sheer volume of emerging talent, more often than not an artist truly worthy of a close-up can often go unnoticed. The Brooklyn producer Reed Kackley teamed up with vocalist Michael Santiago and created the group Silent Rider. They are one such example of oft-overlooked Brooklynites. Kackley marries his razor sharp songwriting with Santiago's radio-ready vocals and a host of surging synths, nocturnal piano textures and brooding (and equally thumping) basslines. There's also a concussive and gritty drum tone too.

The disc opens with "All That You Know," which features three short strums that serve more or less as a siren to pay attention. Then piano jumps in, and then a slew of machinated noises. Somehow the song is only a minute in and already it has all the trappings of a winner. When Santiago's vocals kick in at the 1:15 mark, the song darts away and never disappoints. Of all the many opening tracks released this year, few if any shine as bright as "All That You Know." And sure enough, the disc is just getting started.

In the ensuing 38 minutes, he makes one heck of a statement. On the heels of "All That You Know," is the enveloping "Beggar," which drips with falsetto, a hook-heavy chorus and the kind of charisma and confidence that needs to be heard to be realized. To put it simply, this song needs to spread like wildfire. Falsetto returns on the dazzling "I Was a Bomb," a song in which Kackley's verses (and Santiago's vocals) take center stage. And it as this point that Silent Rider has pushed away from his contemporaries and moved into truly champion territory. "Dust on My Knees," is polished and profound, while "Shudder," is a psychedelic mindtrip.

Stepping away from narrative-driven electro-pop, Kackley offers up the gorgeous instrumental "Peace of Mind," a song that seems destined for late-night drives and autumn road trips. But perhaps the best part of "Peace of Mind," is that it serves as segue to the breathtaking "Dead Weight," a gorgeous song thick with attitude and fistfuls of charm. For those who enjoyed the falsetto on "Beggar," and "I Was a Bomb," it resurfaces on the down-tempo "Skin," a cut that seems tailor-made for a film soundtrack. For much of the duration of Silent Rider, one can't help but feel a sense of suave and bravado and the sensual "They Say It All," only elucidates that point further.

Silent Rider ends with the twinkly and gloaming "Out of Reach," and the histrionic and psychedelic "Heat." When Silent Rider finally grinds to a halt one can't help but feel a sense of awe and wonderment. Being that the album tackles a slew of heady themes (poverty, religion, sadomasochism, drug addiction, wayward youths, prostitution) the fact that the music itself is as indelible as it is serves as a testament to both Santiago and Kackley's inherent talents. Though it probably will stay criminally under the radar, Silent Rider is the arrival of a major player in the overcrowded Brooklyn indie scene.

Now what has to happen to give these guys their long-overdue close-up? - Absolute Punk

Silent Rider, the project of Brooklyn producer Reed Kackley, goes full-on cinematic with "I Was A Bomb." It's essentially electro-pop with an icy veneer, rumbling, clap-laden beat and textured drone static that alternates between piano and fuzz. He's releasing a free full-length on September 18, so get familiar now and gloat later. - RCRD LBL

Artist: Silent Rider

Video: "I Was a Bomb"

Highlight: The story within the "I Was a Bomb" music video was a strong collaboration between Silent Rider and Fortune Films.

"Initially, the video was envisioned as a retelling of the biblical tale of Abraham's attempt to sacrifice his son Isaac," Reed Kackley, the electronic producer behind Silent Rider, tells Spinner. "In the end, however, it ended up coming out quite differently, much darker and more surreal."

"I like to think of my psyche in terms of a yin-yang," adds Philippe Grenade, writer and director of Fortune Films USA. "I express my 'yang,' the light and heavenly facets, within the delights of every day life from the beauty of nature to the warmth of friends. But when it comes to art, nothing interests and haunts me more than exploring the deep dream-like unconscious of my 'Yin,' the feminine, cold, dark and earthly dimensions of my mind." - Spinner