Silversun Pickups : Swoon

Silversun Pickups hold Smashing Pumpkins as close to their heart as, say, Mudhoney hold the Stooges -- perhaps even more, as Silversun Pickups (whose very initials are the same as the Pumpkins ) act as though nothing happened between Siamese Dream in 1993 and Swoon in 2009. Try as they may, the bandmembers cannot deny the passage of time, or their geography, for Silversun Pickups are creatures of their time and place, just as their idols were. At their core, the Pumpkins were Midwestern misfits, something that was evident in their very appearance and sound. In contrast, Silversun Pickups shimmer sweetly on the surface, a sound suited for Los Angeles. Silversun Pickups avoid unpleasantness on Swoon, wallowing in washes of sound derived equally from guitars and whispered vocals and glimmering in the sunlight. It's pleasant enough, particularly when the breathy vocals fade away to leave behind cascades of guitars, but still remains an approximation of Smashing Pumpkins at their peak. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide

2009 release. The L.A. quartet has emerged from the depths of recording studios and is ready to flaunt their new material. With only a short month off following an exhaustive two-plus year tour schedule behind their debut, SSPU locked themselves in a rehearsal room to begin work on Swoon. With the help of the Carnavas producer and mixer team of Dave Cooley and Tony Hoffer, Silversun Pickups churned out an album that Aubert says,'sounds like a nervous breakdown'. The songs are taut, embellished in places with string arrangements that appear like a drizzle of mercury over the SSPU's trademark distorted density. The band's music acts as a shadow to Aubert's lyrics being pulled on a chain by his every vocal whim. His words narrate personal traumas, as though they could be commentary on headlines of any day's newspaper. As a whole, Swoon is a tapestry of beauty and aggression.