When I first listened to the opening track, "Sorry Now", I cringed. Ciaran Daly's vocals bear the tremulous stamp of indie-rock whine, which when combined with the ringing guitar led me to expect yet another take on the guitar-grousing of Dinosaur Jr. Thankfully, I was dead wrong, as "Sorry Now" opened up into a fine pop song. Sure, the guitar is distorted, but what really makes Twitch's sound is Kara Kendall's violin. The dramatic sweep of her bow infuses the tracks with rich emotion, interweaving fetching lines with the other three members' rock approach. By the time "Sorry Now" reaches its hitching bridge, the flow of the music has dismissed any fears of standard guitar bluster.

The other seven songs take a similar approach by incorporating the violin's "special" textural feel into well-written pop formats. "Karma Stain" is a gentle funk number reminiscent of a Dave Matthews song, but without the studio lacquer. "Sway" is an affecting number underpinned by a driving rhythm provided by drummer Erik Siljander. The song's emotional highpoint, however, is found at its center, where the guitars of Daly and Kevin Baltus trade comped chords while Kendall's violin provides an intense motion that mirrors the song's title. The sheer lyricism of the chorus to "Tragedy Soundtrack" makes the track a winner. The fusion of the guitars' minor chords and the trill of the violin is exciting, and when Daly calls out before the final chorus, the energy created by the combination is intoxicating. However, the rollicking beat behind "Playing God" makes this number my personal favorite. Here, the unusual rhythm and the gypsy feel of the violin create an old-world sound that carries the emotional impact of Jane's Addiction's "Of Course". Again, the violin is key to setting the tone, and by playing up to that instrument's capabilities the track, as well as the band, sets itself apart from others.

Throughout Maintain Radio Silence, Twitch displays solid songwriting for which all the members deserve credit, but it is the violin that will remain in your memory when the disc ends.