Silversun Pickups is an alternative/shoegaze rock band that
is famous for their distorted bass and guitsr riffs and lead singer Brian
Aubert’s distinctive voice that lead some to dub them “The next Smashing
Pumpkins” early in their career. The four-piece from Los Angeles just released
their third full-length album, Neck of
the Woods, the follow up to the tremendous Seasick EP and the wildly successful sophomore full-length Swoon. Labeled early as a dark-horse
contender for Album of the Year, Neck of
the Woods entered my eardrums carrying a large amount of hype with it. And,
surprisingly enough, Silversun Pickups lived up to it completely.
Neck of the Woods
is not a short album by any definition. Clocking in at just less than 59
minutes and featuring no songs shorter than 4:30 in length, the album does take
a long time to finish, but it never feels too
long. All the songs are just given room to breathe and the band is able to
really expand on each song’s sonic elements. Instead of letting things get
stale, Silversun Pickups masterfully experiment with new flourishes that may be
just slightly out of their comfort zone.
There’s no real
stereotypical radio rock single here, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
Lead single “Blood Mary (Nerve Endings)” is over 5 minutes long and vocalist
Brian Aubert doesn’t beginning singing till the 1:14 mark of the song. The song
features one of the best choruses on the album though with Aubert singing over
the building instrumentation, “If we can stay here long enough we can play with
Bloody Mary, and say her name into the dark and activate our nerve endings.”
The song captures the childhood wonder and slight twinge of fear about the
Bloody Mary myth. It’s not exactly the cookie-cutter rock song that Nickleback
produces every few months, despite being put back to back with it alternative
radio.
Before this album came out, I had said to a friend that
Silversun Pickups would never be able to top the alternative rock perfection
that is their single from Swoon “Panic Switch”. I’m pleased to say I was damn
wrong as track 6 on this album, “Mean Spirits,” tops “Panic Switch” to me. The
song features every great aspect of the band’s sound, including the punchy,
tight drum beats of Chris Guanlao and a massive bass riff supplied by the
ever-talented Nikki Monninger, all amplified to the nth degree. By the time
Aubert’s guitar solo kicks in, the listeners adrenaline should already be fully
pumping.
Though the rest of the album isn’t quite as sensational as “Mean
Spirits” (an early Song of the Year contender), there are still some other
highlights. A wonderfully constructed beat gives “The Pit” an almost hip-hop
like bob to it. However, it’s songs on which Aubert stretches his vocal
capabilities that stand out. One of those vocal performances is “Busy Bees,”
whose upper register vocals sound like they are skirting the highest possible
notes in Aubert’s arsenal.
Bottom Line: If you like distorted guitar and bass, songs
with dark vibes, and singers with unique voices, you will love Silversun
Pickups. As you’ll see below, it’s difficult coming up with Recommendations
based on other artists, because well, Silversun Pickups have no contemporaries
right now. They are doing their style of music better and more creatively than
anyone else right now. It’s about time the world takes notice.
Recommended if you rock: Slappin’ da bass, “Panic Switch”, Smashing
Pumpkins, a heavier Beach House
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