snobb Marc Ribot is one of the musicians you never know what to wait from their next release. After rock-noisy album with Ceramic Dogs and exotic participation on RIO/avant-pop release of Russian band's Auctyon,it wasn't easy to expect what will come next.

Silent Movies is really surprising release even for unpredictable Ribot. This album is almost acoustic guitar only soundtracks for existing or non-existing movies. Ribot plays ascetic,almost minimalist melancholic compositions as a tribute to his love for old silent movies.

Obvious influence is Ribot's experience preparing for a live accompaniment of the Charlie Chaplin film The Kid at Merkin Concert Hall in January 2010 as part of the New York Guitar Festival. Two compositions are reworked soundtracks for real movie he recorded some time ago (for Natalia Almada’s documentary film about Mexican dictator Plutarco Elías Calles). Three more songs are future soundtrack for still unreleased movie "Drunk Boat". All compositions are original, only one ( “Sous le Ciel de Paris”) is coming from the classic French movie (and was a Edith Piaf's hit in its time).

Ribot's guitar playing is unusually lyrical (as much as you can expect it from Marc Ribot),without technical abilities demonstration and experimental sounds or noises. The only other sounds on the album are minimalistic overdubs,Ribot's vibraphone on one track and very ascetic effects from Keefus Ciancia. While Ribot isn't classic jazz guitarist,this album doesn't sound as "Friday Night In San-Francisco" for sure,but are closer to Bill Frisell's acoustic solo works,just with down town soul instead of Frisell's Americana.

Pleasant surprise,showing the different side of Ribot's artistic personality.