The Red and Black

Issue date: 4/23/09 Section: Out & About

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SILVERSUN PICKUPS

Swoon

BIO

Formed in Los Angeles in 2005, the Silversun Pickups comprise vocalist/guitarist Brian Aubert, bassist/vocalist Nikki Monninger, keyboardist Joe Lester, and drummer Christopher Guanlao.

Inspired by shoegaze-style rock (My Bloody Valentine, The Smashing Pumpkins) and indie-pop (Earlimart), Silversun Pickups' first EP, "Pikul," garnered the band initial recognition. It went on to tour with established acts such as Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and Dead Meadow.

Silversun Pickups released its first full-length album "Carnavas" in summer 2006, which propelled the band to mainstream status. Singles "Lazy Eye" and "Well Thought Out Twinkles" both cracked the top 10 of the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart the following year.

REVIEW

Silversun Pickups sounds a lot like a glossy incarnation of The Smashing Pumpkins. It's been repeated ad nauseum in the press, but that's because it's largely accurate.

Picking up where the band left off with "Carnavas," "Swoon" evokes the dreamy soundscapes of the Pumpkins (or, less overtly, My Bloody Valentine) without contributing any new ingredients to the cauldron.

To be fair, "Swoon" definitely has its moments: Brian Aubert's and Nikki Monninger's mewing, hazy vocals mesh smoothly with the band's collective sonic avalanches.

"Panic Switch" is the album's apex, sporting flawless lead guitar work worthy of Billy Corgan's respect. "Sort Of" is easily the most rhythmically distinct number of the set and again rides on a stunning guitar climax.

Although it takes its time to gain momentum, "Growing Old Is Getting Old" morphs into a ferocious whirlwind of distortion.

The newfound emphasis on walls of distortion (in the signature shoegaze production style) makes "Swoon" altogether heavier and grittier than "Carnavas."

The problem is that most of the melodies and song structures are pleasant to a fault, simply too amorphous and indistinct to invoke a memorable impression.

"Catch and Release" and "It's Nice to Know You Work Alone" amount to little more than drab, diluted pop-rock. And I'm sorry, but "Substitution" just irritates me.

Played in their entirety, the ten tracks bleed together and seem to drift by with the intensity of a languid summer breeze.

VERDICT

Silversun Pickups' pop-sensible shoegaze is rich and textured and would seem to lend itself well to the live environment - but in studio form, "Swoon" leaves the band sounding a little too derivative.

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