Silversun Pickups: Swoon CD Review
L.A. Indie Rockers Present a Decent Sophomore Album
L.A. indie rockers Silversun Pickups have released Swoon, their second full-length album, after building a solid fan base with their acclaimed debut record Carnavas.
The band’s duo on vocals, Brian Aubert on lead with Nikki Monniger accompanying, actually sound quite similar, as Aubert’s voice is more effeminate than his indie rock counterparts. His unusual sound adds to the style the band is trying to create and, oddly enough, the tracks would lose some of their poignancy if Aubert was not the frontman.
Memories of the Pumpkins
The first track on the album, “There’s No Secrets This Year,” has a distinctive ‘90s feel to it. In a way, Silversun Pickups reminds listeners of songs from bands past. It is not hard to see why their sound often invokes memories from fans of when the Smashing Pumpkins ruled the world.
It is obvious that the band’s sound is not for everyone. “The Royal We” is nothing noteworthy and is likely to be soon forgotten. “Catch and Release” is hard to distinguish from much of the rest of the album, which seems to be a problem with a few of the tracks. Fortunately, much of the guitar work is superb and saves what would otherwise be throwaway songs.
Growing Old is Getting Old
“Draining” has some interesting parts lyrically and benefits from its downtempo guitar and melodic background vocals by Monniger. But Swoon’s standout track is undeniably “Growing Old is Getting Old.” With its phenomenal beat and staggering mix between the Pumpkins and a Modest Mouse-like feel, a rarity in the rest of the album, it is almost impossible to not tap a foot to the captivating melody.
Filling out the quartet are Joe Lester on keyboard and drummer Christopher Guanlao, both of whom truly have the best bits on the album and make themselves invaluable to the CD’s best tracks. Without them, Swoon may very well have been indistinguishable from records of most other indie bands out there today.
Remnants of Carnavas
Swoon is enjoyable, but much too close to the band’s first album Carnavas. There is nothing monumental or groundbreaking lying inside the album's ten songs and most tracks overstay their welcome.
Fans of the band’s debut album will like the familiar sound, but many others will not find anything remarkable in the Silversun Pickups’ sophomore album. Listeners looking for anything resembling the semi-grunge soft rock of the '90s will probably do themselves a service to try out the Pickups. The progression that is embedded in the tracks shows promise, and it will hopefully lead to a formidable third album, as the band could easily fill a much needed throwback to music from the last decade.
Silversun Pickups' Swoon
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