The second full-length album by this young Los Angeles quartet melds
pop-rock conventions with robust guitarscapes, hypnotic rhythms and
lyrics that juggle angst, trepidation and beauty.
The band’s 2006 debut, Carnavas, was uneven but contained a
couple of killer tracks. While there’s nothing on Swoon as
powerfully transcendent as Carnavas‘ “Well Thought Out Twinkles”
or “Lazy Eye,” this new one is more consistent, weaving together 10
disarming compositions to produce a musical fugue state. It’s an album
into which you can immerse yourself as if in a hot bath.
The most common complaint about Silversun Pickups is that they sound
like, according to a respected friend, “lame Smashing Pumpkins.” And
although Brian Aubert’s light tenor superficially resembles Billy
Corgan’s, it’s unfair to categorize this band based on that similarity
alone.
Aubert is in the process of creating a multi-faceted guitar sound,
encompassing quiet melodies, full-on squalls of feedback and
monster-roar effects.
He also engages in metal-style riffing on “Sort Of” and introduces
“Draining” with jazz chords. His pizzicato playing gently matches the
(synthesized?) strings on “The Royal We,” before growing menacing on
the choruses. And the burbling patterns he produces on “Growing Old Is
Getting Old” recall The Edge of The Unforgettable Fire.
A lame rhythm section would definitely hobble this band, but bassist
Nikki Monninger and drummer Christopher Guanlao maintain the propulsion
to help Silversun Pickups reach escape velocity.
This article appears in Apr 23-29, 2009.