I just downloaded the new Silversun Pickups album (titled Swoon) and while it's not quite the second coming of Siamese Dream, it's about as good as fuzz rock gets these days.
The third track - "Growing Old Is Getting Old" - is perhaps the only one at the level of "Lazy Eye" and "Common Reactor." It starts with a basic yet catchy bass line, dreamy atmospherics and Aubert singing over delay-soaked guitars which slither in and out for the first 3 minutes. Just when it seems like you've had enough of this formula, the song kicks into another gear (3:13) with a great change ... drums follow (3:29), the vocals build and then some kickass distortion follows (4:16). Just when it's about to go off the rails, we return to the chorus (5:03). Great song.
The eighth track - "Substitution" - is very catchy, a head bopper. A great riff/solo drops in from 2:45-3:12 ... almost like something the Strokes would play, except with a Silversun tone.
The single - "Panic Switch" - is the fifth track and it's easy to see why the band chose this song to represent the album. It's a good song, but it doesn't really reward you till the 4th minute when the guitar barrage arrives. Perhaps the best section of the album (at least for guitar nerds) drops into your lap at 4:01, with an awesome section repeated at 4:08-4:15 and 4:23-4:30.
Lowlights? "Sort Of" - the seventh track - has painful lyrics ... and who titles a song "Sort Of"? "Catch and Release" is a slower number and a bit of a snoozer -- it seems like the band's attempt to branch out, but it fails. The Silversun Pickups are supposed to rock you -- they do that at the outset with "There's No Secrets This Year" -- with fuzz ... why mess with a good thing? Stick to what works.
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About Me
- Jeff Meredith
- I am a researcher, reporter and conference producer with experience spanning the aerospace & defense, biopharma, chemical, consumer electronics, energy, homeland security, human resources and IT markets.
In January I rejoined Worldwide Business Research, where I serve as program manager for Consumer Returns, SCMchem and the Digital Travel Summit.
I have an M.S. in science and medical journalism from Boston University (Dec 2008) and did my undergraduate work at Indiana University, majoring in journalism and political science (May 2001). After interning for the Chicago Tribune as a collegian, I landed my first real gig in the Windy City: I was a senior technology writer for I-Street magazine (Sept 2001-Feb 2003). I covered nanotech and biotech startups. From March-November 2003, I worked for a newsletter publisher (Exchange Monitor Publications) in DC, covering congressional hearings, the NRC & DHS.
Sally Lightfood Crab
1 comment:
"Catch & Release" is one of the better tracks on the disc, I thought.
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