When Broken Is Easily Fixed

2003 studio album by Silverstein

Studio album by

Silverstein

Released

May 20, 2003

Recorded

January – February 2003
Mount Fairview and Unity Gain

Genre

Emo^[1]
post-hardcore

Length

38:30

Label

Victory

Producer

Justin Koop

Silverstein chronology

When the Shadows Beam
(2002)

When Broken Is Easily Fixed
(2003)

Discovering the Waterfront
(2005)

When Broken Is Easily Fixed is the debut studio album by Canadian post-hardcore band Silverstein, released in 2003 under the label Victory Records.

Musical style

When Broken Is Easily Fixed is a post-hardcore album that has been described as combining elements of emo, hardcore punk and heavy metal.^[2] The album makes use of loud-quiet dynamics, cathartic melodies, harsh vocals, and breakdowns.

Background and recording

Forming in early 2000,^[3] Silverstein released two EPs, Summer's Stellar Gaze (2000) and When the Shadows Beam (2002).^[4] The second EP caught the attention of Victory Records, who announced that they had signed the band on October 22, 2002.^[5]^[6]

When Broken Is Easily Fixed was recorded at Mount Fairview and Unity Gain between January and February 2003 with producer Justin Koop.^[7] Koop engineered and mixed the album; Koop was assisted by engineer Rob Turri at Mount Fairview.^[7] Rainer Tan provided violin, while Shane Told and Richard McWalter supplied additional guitar.^[7] Kyle Bishop gave additional vocals to the title track.^[7] The album was mastered by Alan Douches at West West Side.^[7]

Release

On April 3, 2003, When Broken Is Easily Fixed was announced for release in the following month. Alongside this, "Smashed Into Pieces" was posted online,^[8] followed by "Giving Up" on April 5, 2002.^[9] In April and May 2003, the band toured across the Midwest and southern US states, with Choke and Self Made Man.^[10] When Broken Is Easily Fixed was released on May 20, 2003^[11] on Victory Records.^[12] Martin Wittfooth created the artwork.^[7]^{[nb 1]} In July and August, the band toured across the US, with Freya; it included an appearance Warped Tour and Redemption Fest.^[14]^[15] The band went on a short tour in October with the Fulllbast, which was then followed by a handful of shows with Rise Against.^[16] Silverstein then went on a west coast and midwest US tour in November, with Bayside; Haste, Eleventeen, and Preacher Gone to Texas appeared on select dates.^[17] In January 2004, the band supported Spitalfield on their headlining US tour.^[18] In February 2004, the band went tour with the A.K.A.s.^[19] Following this, the band toured with Strike Anywhere and Fifth Hour Hero on their tour of the US, which ran into March 2004.^[20] In May and June 2004, the band went on tour with Alexisonfire, Emery, the Higher, and Hawthorne Heights.^[21] The album was reissued on September 14, 2004 with a DVD and two bonus tracks, "Friends in Fall River" and "Forever and a Day".^[12] In November 2004, the band supported Hot Water Music on their headlining North American tour.^[22]

"Smashed into Pieces" was re-recorded by the band in 2013 and released on May 20 to commemorate the ten-year anniversary of the album.^[23]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[1]
Exclaim!	No rating^[24]
Metal Hammer	6/7^[25]

As of June 2007, the album has sold 179,000 copies.^[26]

Track listing

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Length
1.	"Smashed into Pieces"	Shane Told	Told	3:42
2.	"Red Light Pledge"	Told	Told	3:48
3.	"Giving Up"	Told	Told	4:12
4.	"November"	Josh Bradford, Told	Neil Boshart	4:15
5.	"Last Days of Summer"	Told	Boshart	4:28
6.	"Bleeds No More"	Told	Told	3:16
7.	"Hear Me Out"	Told	Bradford, Boshart, Told	3:48
8.	"The Weak and the Wounded"	Told	Boshart	3:15
9.	"Wish I Could Forget You"	Paul Koehler, Told	Richard McWalter, Bradford	3:26
10.	"When Broken Is Easily Fixed"	Told, Bradford	Bradford, Boshart	4:20
Total length:				38:30

Reissue bonus tracks
No.	Title	Length
11.	"Friends in Fall River"	3:18
12.	"Forever and a Day"	4:28

Reissue Bonus DVD
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Giving Up" (Live/Unreleased)	4:20
2.	"Giving Up" (Video)	4:20
3.	"Smashed into Pieces" (Live)	3:34
4.	"Smashed into Pieces" (Video)	3:43
5.	"Band Interview"	10:19
6.	"Interview with Shane"	3:07
7.	"Equipment Run Through"	4:54

Personnel

Personnel per booklet.^[7]

Silverstein

Shane Told – vocals, additional guitar
Paul Koehler – drums
Neil Boshart – lead guitar
Josh Bradford – rhythm guitar
Billy Hamilton – bass guitar

Additional personnel and production

Justin Koop – producer, engineer, mixing
Rob Turri – assistant engineer
Alan Douches – mastering
Rainer Tan – violin
Richard McWalter – additional guitar
Kyle Bishop – additional vocals on "When Broken Is Easily Fixed"
Martin Wittfooth – artwork
Eric Deleporte – design

Chart positions

Charts (2005)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Heatseekers Albums^[27]	48
U.S. Billboard Independent Albums^[27]	45

References

Footnotes

^ An early version of the artwork, dated January 23, 2003, featured the robot in a different position.^[13]

Citations

^ ^a ^b Loftus, Johnny. "When Broken Is Easily Fixed - Silverstein | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
^ "When Broken is Easily Fixed - Silverstein | Album | AllMusic". AllMusic.
^ "SILVERSTEIN". silversteinmusic.com. Archived from the original on 18 December 2007. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
^ "Silverstein". silversteinmusic.com. Archived from the original on 5 November 2002. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
^ "Victory Records - News". Victory Records. Archived from the original on December 1, 2002. Retrieved July 15, 2016.
^ White, Adam (October 24, 2002). "Victory signs Silverstein". Punknews.org. Retrieved March 1, 2021.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g When Broken Is Easily Fixed (Booklet). Silverstein. Victory. 2003. VR192.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^ White, Adam (April 3, 2003). "New Freya, Silverstein Tracks Up At Victory". Punknews.org. Retrieved March 5, 2021.
^ Heisel, Scott (April 5, 2003). "Another new Silverstein MP3 available". Punknews.org. Retrieved March 5, 2021.
^ Heisel, Scott (April 17, 2003). "Silverstien tries to find out where the roadway ends". Punknews.org. Retrieved March 5, 2021.
^ Santangelo, Antonia (April 21, 2003). "Tour Tidbits". CMJ New Music Report. 75 (810). CMJ Network, Inc.: 34. ISSN 0890-0795.
^ ^a ^b "Silverstein Releases". Victory Records. Archived from the original on 1 October 2019. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
^ "Instagram". Archived from the original on 2021-12-25. Retrieved 11 May 2015.
^ Heisel, Scott (June 26, 2003). "Silverstein July / August touring". Punknews.org. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
^ Heisel, Scott (July 21, 2003). "Redemption Fest Lineup Announced". Punknews.org. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
^ Heisel, Scott (September 21, 2003). "New Silverstein website / updates". Punknews.org. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
^ Heisel, Scott (October 24, 2003). "Silverstein / Bayside". Punknews.org. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
^ Heisel, Scott (December 17, 2003). "Spitalfield / Diffuser / Silverstein". Punknews.org. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
^ White, Adam (February 3, 2004). "The A.K.A.s lineup change / February shows". Punknews.org. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
^ White, Adam (January 19, 2004). "Strike Anywhere / Fifth Hour Hero US dates". Punknews.org. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
^ Heisel, Scott (April 23, 2004). "Alexisonfire/Emery/Silverstein on tour". Punknews.org. Retrieved March 28, 2021.
^ White, Adam (August 11, 2004). "Hot Water Music fall tour dates with Planes Mistaken For Stars / Alexisonfire". Punknews.org. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
^ "Silverstein re-record "Smashed Into Pieces," offer free download - Alternative Press". Alternative Press. Retrieved 11 May 2015.
^ Green, Stuart (June 1, 2003). "Silverstein When Broken Is Easily Fixed". Exclaim!. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
^ Salmutter, Elmar (July 1, 2003). "Silverstein – When Broken Is Easily Fixed". Metal Hammer. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
^ Martens, Todd (June 16, 2007). "Onward And Upward". Billboard. Vol. 119, no. 24. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. p. 34. ISSN 0006-2510.
^ ^a ^b "Silverstein | Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved February 12, 2014.