Silversun Pickups - Albums Collection 2005-2012 [4CD]

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Silversun Pickups - Albums Collection 2005-2012 [4CD]

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Brian Aubert (guitar/vocals), Nikki Monninger (bass), Christopher Guanlao (drums), and Joe Lester (keyboards) comprise the swarthy indie rock stylings of Silversun Pickups. The quartet's textured melodies capture the hypnotic dream pop threads of My Bloody Valentine and pop bittersweetness of Earlimart, and such a blend has wowed their native L.A. since 2005. Silversun Pickups issued their debut release, the six-song Pikul EP, that same year while shared show dates with the likes of Brendan Benson, Dead Meadow, Two Gallants, and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club followed into 2006. Produced by Dave Cooley (Rolling Blackouts, Citizen King, Smash Mouth), their full-length debut, Carnavas, arrived in July. The group got the word out with some intensive international touring throughout 2006 and 2007, supporting OK Go and Snow Patrol in the U.S. and Foo Fighters and Kaiser Chiefs in the U.K. and Europe. Their second full-length, Swoon, hit the shelves in 2009 and made a strong showing with its first single, "Panic Switch." Also out in 2009 was the five-track sampler Connect Set. The quartet tapped Grammy-winning producer Jacknife Lee (U2, R.E.M., Weezer) for its third studio album, 2012's Neck of the Woods.

Biography by MacKenzie Wilson, Allmusic.com

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Silversun Pickups - Albums Collection 2005-2012 [4CD]

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Silversun Pickups - Albums Collection 2005-2012 [4CD]

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While nowhere near as immediate as their 2006 grunge-pop opus Carnavas, this EP from 2005, enigmatically named for and dedicated to a friend of the band's (and pronounced "pie-kull"), shows Silversun Pickups developing their Smashing Pumpkins worship into a formula all their own. The difference is in the subtlety and restraint of their arrangements; whereas Billy Corgan has trademarked his whisper-to-a-scream dynamics, the Pickups keep the buildups fluid and the crescendos controlled. Oftentimes the listener may find themselves wishing for more explosive release, but things are kept discreet here; after all, it's easier to effectively follow the quiet-loud-quiet tactics of the Pixies or Nirvana, much more tricky to keep things understated yet filled with tension. Only on the leadoff track "Kissing Families" does lead singer/guitarist Brian Aubert seethe with barely contained rage, "Everything is connected and beautiful, and now I know just where I stand," a realization that doesn't seem to please him. Or on "The Fuzz" where the guitars build to a multi-tracked yet muted climax we still aren't given the payoff we might have expected. This could be attributed to a desire to keep things radio-friendly or in a pop format, perhaps at the advice of a producer, or it could just be the band's entire modus operandi. Another complaint could be leveled at the Pickups' over-reliance on root-chord eighth-note downbeat strums indicative of bedroom compositions originally aimed for the coffeehouse open mic circuit, but that factor is minor, and while it undermines any overt intensity it adds to the subtle subversiveness of the arrangements. Most seductive is a Moe Tucker-esque turn on vocals by bassist/backup vocalist Nikki Monninger on "Creation Lake"; the simplicity of this song with its childlike keening belies its complicity in the overall disenchantment and ennui that seems to be the theme of this collection. "…All the Go Inbetweens" and an unnamed "hidden" track continue the wistful yet urgent feeling and bring the collection of a mere six songs to a close that feels like a complete album. A great beginning is documented here, and one can see the maturation on their subsequent full-length. One would only hope that the band can continue to find its own distinctive voice.

Review by Brian Way, Allmusic.com

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Silversun Pickups - Albums Collection 2005-2012 [4CD]

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Carnavas, the debut full-length from L.A.'s Silversun Pickups, is the sort of record that brings something new to discover with each listen. Thus, listen one is as enjoyable as listen five or ten, but probably for entirely different reasons, since unique bits continuously appear from the band's dream haze of accessibly textured indie rock. From the grainy opening of "Melatonin" that blends into strikingly harmonized male/female vocals, the quartet immediately showcases their innate sense of melody amid textured atmospherics and layers of distortion and fuzz, which all come across as both bittersweet and enchanting. Silversun Pickups take the shimmering dream pop of My Bloody Valentine and filter it through '90s grunge instincts like that of the Smashing Pumpkins – and it all combines to produce an album that, well, is really freaking good. Vocals are both haunting and sweet, as lead singer Brian Aubert somehow manages to sound like a cross between the Goo Goo Dolls' Robby Takac and the Get Up Kids' Matt Pryor – in a good way. And for every moment of ominous intensity, the band further manipulates their ethereal antics into moments of pure shimmering redemption. "Future Foe Scenarios" is urgent in a completely controlled way that makes the vocals come off even fiercer over the song's driving distortion, while exhilarating and spacious cuts like "Lazy Eye" and "Common Reactor" materialize out of clouds of hazy guitars and pensive keyboard with dynamic force that never loses its direction. Though an extremely rewarding listen, proceed with caution: once put into a stereo, Carnavas may become stuck inside for quite a while.

Review by Corey Apar, Allmusic.com

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Silversun Pickups - Albums Collection 2005-2012 [4CD]

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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') don't attempt synthesis or reimagination, they merely seek continuance, acting 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, something that could be heard in Jimmy Chamberlin's thundering backbeat, the skyscraping guitars of Billy Corgan and James Iha, and, especially, Corgan's outcast wail, producing a sound that found beauty in ugliness and vice-versa. In stark contrast, Silversun Pickups are nothing but pretty, shimmering sweetly on the surface, a sound suited for Los Angeles. Silversun Pickups avoid unpleasantness to such a great extent on Swoon that they rarely shift tempos or dynamics. They merely wallow in washes of sound, deriving equally from guitars and whispered vocals, never pushing forward, never achieving any sense of momentum, just glimmering in the sunlight. It's pleasant enough, particularly when the breathy vocals fade away to leave behind cascades of guitars, but even at its best, it's nothing more than an approximation of Smashing Pumpkins at their peak, with all the interesting parts stripped away.

Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Allmusic.com

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Silversun Pickups - Albums Collection 2005-2012 [4CD]

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Silversun Pickups had a bit of a breakthrough with 2009's Swoon. Moody and fuzzed-out singles like "Substitution" and "Panic Switch" drew new listeners to the band's particular brand of melodic and rhythmically infectious guitar-based rock. They even garnered a Best New Artist nod at the Grammy Awards despite having already developed a cult following after debuting with their 2005 EP, Pikul. All of which makes the band's third studio album, 2012's Neck of the Woods, such a welcome follow-up. Building upon Swoon's layered melodicism and once again showcasing lead singer/songwriter Brian Aubert's knack for evocative, introspective lyrics and fiery, multi-dubbed guitar parts, Neck of the Woods is an even more infectious and nuanced affair. In that sense, not much has really changed for the band since 2009. Working with Grammy-winning producer Jacknife Lee (U2, R.E.M., Weezer), they've perfected their mix of epic noise rock and ambient guitar anthems. Tracks like the tightly wound "Make Believe" and the equally sinister-sounding "Busy Bees" are dramatic nuggets of impending pop doom that still reveal sections of rhythmically inventive prog-influenced parts showcasing drummer Christopher Guanlao. Elsewhere, the airy, slow-burning lead single "Bloody Mary (Nerve Endings)," with its atmospheric soundscape backdrop via keyboardist Joe Lester, and the driving, grungy "Mean Spirits" are, as with all of the cuts on Neck of the Woods, perfect pop songs that still make room for Aubert's raging and cinematic guitar parts.

Review by Matt Collar, Allmusic.com