Static & Silence

Static & Silence is the third and final studio album by English alternative rock band The Sundays. It was released in the UK by Parlophone on 22 September 1997 and in the US by Geffen on 23 September 1997. The title is a quote from the album's final track, "Monochrome," and the album's cover photo refers to the subject of "Monochrome," the TV screening of the Apollo 11 Moon landing. Guitarist and leader David Gavurin has said that by the time of the recording of Static & Silence, the band had mellowed somewhat with age. He and his wife, Harriet Wheeler, were influenced more by Van Morrison, who gave some songs on the album their folk-rock bent ("Folk Song" even quotes from Morrison's "And It Stoned Me"). The couple had also been listening to Frank Sinatra songs and 1960s French film music. Kevin Jamieson, who performed some percussion work on the album, joined The Sundays as a backup guitarist during their UK and US album support tour. He is perhaps best known for his prior work as the lead singer for Jim Jiminee.