Sculpture Magazine

Not planning on going over the same ground with anyone who thinks Brian's band sounds too much like the Smashing Pumpkins. What bands who emerge from California to stardom aren't a direct derivative of someone else's band? There's too many to name. Originality often gets in the way of the highly successful rock bands from that southern west coast territory.  But Silversun Pickups, while mired in the same self-absorbed angst lyrically that was enchanting in an early 90s Corgan, musically there's less diversity on frankly, either of the two Silversun Pickups albums to qualify a valid comparison to the Smashing Pumpkins in their prime.

But the music is still pretty solid in spots.  From the breathless ambiguous voice of Brian that prances innocently into and through every song, to the lightweight metal dream pop of the guitars, Silversun Pickups have tapped into a formula that is one part 90s grunge, one part late 80s psychedelic pop, and one part 70s Moody Blues art-pop. Throw all this into a pop ethic pretty much devoid of a true sound all their own, and you have pretty much tapped into a path to great musical success, ala California-style. 

"Panic Switch" is the perfect big hit for the band, as it shows them in all their glory-Anxious vocals, staccato  guitars, and thudding fuzzy bass lines, all exploding around a catchy lyric that parks itself well in the mainstream.  But after one or two of the other songs on the album, "Sort Of" and "Catch and Release", the other tracks seem to lack much gusto.

While strings and an occasional keyboard will gently accent a song occasionally, it doesn't take too many listens to grow weary of Brian's vocals that after awhile seem more influenced by helium than Billy Corgan.  And the guitars grind rapidly into the same monotonous rhythms more often than not and while it's admirable to conjure up the melodic buzzing guitar-solo sound of Justin Hayward of the Moody Blues, as in a  solo in "Panic Switch", it well, strikes me as almost comically retro and less than innovative enough not to sound dated.

Still, what will probably define the longevity of the Silversun Pickups will be their third album, where this formula they've established will have to be expanded or disbanded somewhat.  It would be nice to hear that interesting female voice of the bassist, Nikki Monninge occasionally out front to mix it up some, and while the song structures on Swoon almost rival M83 in their syrupy pathos, the songs might benefit from less drama and more creative distortion if in fact, they truly are influenced by such bands as the Secret Machines and My Bloody Valentine.

Track List

01. There's No Secrets This Year 
02. The Royal We             
03. Growing Old Is Getting Old     
04. It's Nice to Know You Work Alone    
05. Panic Switch    
06. Draining           
07. Sort Of            
08. Substitution      
09. Catch and Release       
10. Surrounded (or Spiraling)         
11. Currency of Love (iTunes Pre-order only)