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SILVERSUN PICKUPS / SWOON
posted on 05.27.09 by greg rawlins

Two years have elapsed since Silversun Pickups earned worldwide acclaim with the release of their full-length debut Carnavas—an album praised as much for its signature sound as its undeniable resemblance to the dark disposition and addled guitar fuzz of early 90’s Smashing Pumpkins and Sonic Youth.

Up until this point, wistful grungers and indie rocking whippersnappers have stood side-by-side, both curious and eager to see if the Los Angeles quartet’s sophomore effort confirms their greatness or goes to that infinite pile of bands that disintegrate from the frenzied public interest as fast as they appear.

Finally, the wait is over and the results are in.

Swoon comes alive early on, with guitar so driving and sharp you’d think they chose U2’s Edge to start the record off with a cameo. Like their previous album’s hit “Lazy Eye,” the song carries with it most the essential ingredients for Silversun Pickuppity: singer Brian Aubert’s delicate, pre-teen lullaby that, in a moment’s time, morphs into laser beam roars of Maynard proportions….first-person lyrics, desolate and compassionate…. swanky chord bendies and hangies… low, lurking repetitive bass…. selective and intermittent drum work… and a mood that retreats to alleyways of introspection and doubt before bursting back into the shiny triumphant wide open.

So it becomes apparent that Silversun Pickups have picked up where they left off, though without any other wild destination in mind. No single song stands out on its own, making it difficult to dissect any certain track. The sound is a solid, though exhaustingly long-winded ride through studio over-production land that ends up watering down too much of the record.

The quality of musicianship in SSPU is undeniable. Why they insist on using layered vocals, spacey background synth ambience and 731 guitar effects to drive their point home is very much beyond me. Mikael Wood from Spin Magazine called the album “a trip best made with headphones.” Here and here. I’ve seen this band perform and they have all the energy and know-how to arrest the audience without the whipped cream and rainbow sprinkles. Hooks and isolations come and go like pretty, but unidentifiable hummingbirds, leaving one simply saying, “huh, that’s……something.” For this, Swoon securely carves itself a faint notch in the rock n roll tree of mediocrity.

GRADE: C