The Silence in Black and White

The Silence in Black and White is the debut studio album by the American rock band Hawthorne Heights after changing their name from A Day in the Life.

The Silence in Black and White
Studio album by Hawthorne Heights
Released	June 1, 2004
Recorded	2004 at Smart Studios, Madison, Wisconsin
Genre	Emo[1][2] post-hardcore[2] screamo[3]
Length	42:57
Label	Victory
Producer	Sean O'Keefe
Hawthorne Heights chronology
Nine Reasons to Say Goodbye (2001) The Silence in Black and White (2004) If Only You Were Lonely (2006)
Singles from The Silence in Black and White
"Ohio Is for Lovers" Released: June 14, 2005 "Niki FM" Released: September 27, 2005

Writing and recording

Writing for the album commenced shortly after the band changed their name from A Day In the Life to Hawthorne Heights. "The Transition" is believed to be the first song written for the album. The album was recorded over a four-week period at Smart Studios in Madison, Wisconsin and at Big Gold Studios in Chicago. Drummer Eron Bucciarelli commented on the recording process of the album:

The recording process this time around was an experience within itself. We got to take our time and experiment a lot more than we’ve been used to in the past. Sonically, this record is such a step up from anything else we’ve done. We are very proud of the finished product.

— Eron Bucciarelli[4]

Release

It was released on June 8, 2004 through Victory Records. The album was the label's highest selling debut at the time of its release.[5] Two music videos were produced, one for "Ohio is For Lovers" in 2004, and one for "Niki FM" in 2005. In February 2005, the group headlined the Take Action Tour across the US with support from Sugarcult, The Early November and Hopesfall.[6] A 2-disc CD/DVD special edition was released on June 27, 2005, containing demo and acoustic versions of the tracks, live performances, and a documentary with footage of the band. It also contained a song titled "Apparently Hoverboards Don't Work on Water", which the band had recorded during their run as A Day In The Life.

"Niki FM" was released to radio on September 27, 2005.[7]

Reception and legacy

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Punknews.org	[3]
Yahoo! Music	Favorable[8]

The album peaked at No. 56 on the Billboard top 200 chart, No. 1 on the Billboard Heatseekers Albums Chart, and No. 4 on the top independent album chart.[9] The album has been certified gold status by the Recording Industry Association of America. Before the release of their second album If Only You Were Lonely in February 2006, The Silence in Black and White had sold over 720,000 copies.[10] By April, album sales stood at 822,000 copies.[11]

The band released a special acoustic 10th Anniversary release of the album, with all tracks being redone acoustically.

Track listing

All tracks are written by Hawthorne Heights[1].

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Life on Standby"	4:11
2.	"Dissolve and Decay"	3:44
3.	"Niki FM"	4:00
4.	"The Transition"	4:05
5.	"Blue Burns Orange"	3:20
6.	"Silver Bullet"	4:03
7.	"Screenwriting an Apology"	3:43
8.	"Ohio Is for Lovers"	4:05
9.	"Wake Up Call"	4:02
10.	"Sandpaper and Silk"	3:37
11.	"Speeding Up the Octaves"	4:11
Total length:		42:57

Re-issue bonus tracks

No.	Title	Length
12.	"Silver Bullet" (demo)	3:38
13.	"Niki FM" (demo)	3:53
14.	"Speeding Up the Octaves" (demo)	3:56
15.	"Ohio Is for Lovers" (Live acoustic on Q101)	4:22
16.	"The Transition" (Live acoustic on Q101)	3:57
17.	"Silver Bullet" (Acoustic in the studio)	5:00
18.	"Apparently Hover Boards Don't Work On Water" (Performed as A Day in the Life)	2:55

Re-issue DVD

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Life On Standby" (live)	4:02
2.	"Silver Bullet" (live)	3:55
3.	"Niki FM" (live)	3:42
4.	"The Transition" (live)	4:07
5.	"Ohio Is for Lovers" (live)	3:47
6.	"Speeding Up the Octaves" (live)	3:40
7.	"Signing Footage"
8.	"Interview with Hawthorne Heights"
9.	"Yahoo! Music Interview"
10.	"Ohio Is for Lovers" (Yahoo! Music performance)	3:32
11.	"Ohio Is for Lovers" (Music video)	4:04
12.	"Seven Commercial Spots"
13.	"Speeding Up the Octaves" (Demo video)	3:56
14.	"Audio commentary on Ohio Is for Lovers"	4:04
15.	"Victory Van Raiders featuring Silverstein"
16.	"Bus Tour with J.T. of Hawthorne Heights"
17.	"Fans of Hawthorne Heights Montage"

10th anniversary acoustic edition

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Life On Standby"	4:59
2.	"Dissolve and Decay"	3:50
3.	"Niki FM"	4:29
4.	"The Transition"	4:31
5.	"Blue Burns Orange"	4:21
6.	"Silver Bullet"	4:33
7.	"Screenwriting an Apology"	3:46
8.	"Ohio Is for Lovers"	4:49
9.	"Wake Up Call"	4:54
10.	"Sandpaper and Silk"	3:39
11.	"Speeding Up the Octaves"	4:37

Singles

• "Ohio Is for Lovers" (2004)
• "Niki FM" (2005)
• "Silver Bullet" (2005)

Personnel

Hawthorne Heights

• JT Woodruff – lead vocals, piano, rhythm guitar
• Micah Carli – lead guitar
• Casey Calvert – rhythm guitar, unclean vocals
• Matt Ridenour – bass guitar, backing vocals
• Eron Bucciarelli – drums, percussion

Guest appearances

• Grace Carli – backing vocals (for songs "Blue Burns Orange", "The Transition", and "Wake Up Call")[12]

References

Citations

1. Stewart Mason (2004-06-01). "The Silence in Black and White - Hawthorne Heights | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 2013-07-26.
2. "UM Review: Hawthorne Heights - "The Silence In Black and White"". Janie Contreras.
3. "Hawthorne Heights - The Silence in Black and White". Punknews.org. Retrieved 2012-11-07.
4. "Hawthorne Heights Biography". Sing365.com. Retrieved 2012-03-09.
5. "Hawthorne Heights Just For The F Of It | News @". Ultimate-guitar.com. 2006-03-14. Retrieved 2012-03-09.
6. Sharpe-Young 2005, p. 168
7. "FMQB Airplay Archive: Modern Rock". Friday Morning Quarterback Album Report, Incorporated. Retrieved October 30, 2016.
8. O'Connor, Rob (February 4, 2005). "The Silence In Black And White". Yahoo! Music. Archived from the original on April 27, 2005. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
9. "The Silence in Black and White : Chart History". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2013-07-26.
10. "Hawthorne Heights post "Saying Sorry" music video". Alternative Press. January 13, 2006. Retrieved June 26, 2016.
11. Kohli, Rohan (April 21, 2006). "Soundscan Results: Week Ending April 16th, 2006". absolutepunk.net. Retrieved February 12, 2016.
12. "Hawthorne Heights - The Silence In Black And White (Vinyl, LP) at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2012-03-09.

Sources

• Sharpe-Young, Garry (2005). New Wave of American Heavy Metal (1st ed.). New Plymouth, NZ: Zonda Books. ISBN 9780958268400.