parts. "This Modern Love" begins minimally with panned vocals before the rhythm section enters the mix and the song intensifies. The second half of Silent Alarm includes more studio effects. "Pioneers" opens with a series of delayed guitar harmonics, while "Price of Gas" is driven by a marching-like sound created by Moakes walking in the studio with planks of wood strapped to his feet. "So Here We Are" is the only track on the album to not include vocal overdubbing. The song contains layered audio tracks of guitar and is followed by "Luno", which begins with 32 bars of bass guitar and drums. "Plans" has a slower tempo and uses a synthesizer and effects such as flanging during the chorus. The final track, "Compliments", incorporates an electronic drum kit and the use of reverberation. Lyrics Silent Alarm does not contain a solitary lyrical centre and simply observes people's lives. Okereke wanted to leave individual listeners space to make their own conclusions, but has admitted that the record "operates in the realm of cultural politics". Much of the songwriting is inspired by the style of confessional poetry authors like Anne Sexton and musicians Thom Yorke and Björk. In general, Silent Alarm tries to make clear an existential pointlessness in life. With hindsight, Okereke noted themes of "helplessness and weariness" because of the album's focus on how he was feeling between the ages of 18 and 20. Professor John Sutherland has pointed out literary elements, often similar to Sylvia Plath's work, in the lyricist's writing. Discussing the opening track "Like Eating Glass", he explained, "It strikes me that whoever did the lyrics must have read some of her work. It has the same rather jagged, surprising imagery. It could sit fairly comfortably in a poetry anthology." The recurring line "We've got crosses on our eyes" is inspired by cartoon characters who have crosses on their eyes when they die. Okereke tried to convey the feelings in a failing relationship, "of being completely disorientated", using childhood metaphors. According to Heather Phares of AllMusic, "The Pioneers" and "Price of Gasoline" exemplify the political undercurrent on Silent Alarm, the latter including the explicit chant "War / War / War / War". "Helicopter" focuses in equal measure on America's "red states" and on UK apathy and "the people queueing for the McDonald's by [Okereke's] house". "Positive Tension" concerns boredom and its dangers, focusing on how it