Artist : Silversun Pickups
Album : Carnavas
Label : Sire
Genre : Indie
Bitrate : 201 kbps avg
Source : CD (LP)
Playtime : 00:55:54 (84.2MB)
Rls date : 2007-05-31
Store date : 2007-05-28
[Track List]
1. Melatonin 4:04
2. Well Thought Out Twinkles 4:02
3. Checkered Floor 4:51
4. Little Lover's So Polite 4:58
5. Future Foe Scenarios 5:20
6. Waste It On 4:13
7. Lazy Eye 5:54
8. Rusted Wheel 6:00
9. Dream At Tempo 119 4:52
10.Three Seed 5:40
11.Common Reactor 6:00
First there was
Silversun_Pickups-Untitled-(Advance)-2006-FNT which was
nuked (group request), then there was
Silversun_Pickups-Untitled-(Proper_Advance)-2006-FNT.
However, this was the advance rip, and the retail
followed.
Silversun_Pickups-Carnavas-(Retail)-2006-ASiNUS was nuked
as a bad rip because they used vbrold with 3.97.
This has been tagged as 2007 as it is the UK retail, which
was released this week.
Admit it, as soon as this post punk thing started to get
stale, you knew a µ90s alternative rock revival was only a
matter of time. At a time when American guitar-based rock
has veered ever so close to self-parody, from the
hyperkinetic caterwauling of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah! to
the hair metal flash and questionable sincerity of
emocore, those of us who devoured indie rock 10 to 15
years ago can╞t help but let our minds wander back to a
time when there seemed to be a never-ending supply of
bands that specialized in big guitars and big hooks.
Smashing Pumpkins, Sugar, Dinosaur Jr., Velocity Girl,
Veruca Salt, Magnapopα you could go on and on listing
bands who scored college radio hits from that time. Say
what you will about today╞s indie rock (with so many bands
out there, it╞s not like there╞s a serious dearth of good
music), but it╞s been such a long time since we got
anything comparable to such terrific singles as ⌠Helpless÷
and ⌠Seether÷, that we can╞t help but hope that will all
change.
With bands like Asobi Seksu and Film School deftly
combining early µ90s shoegazer tones with good pop
songwriting, California outfit Silversun Pickups heads in
a similar direction, but it╞s far from a facile collection
of hooks and melodies, as the quartet shows impressive
depth on their debut full-length. The focal point is
singer/guitarist Brian Aubert, who adds layers of guitars,
ranging from chiming, to insistent, to droning, while
singing in a compellingly androgynous voice that instantly
conjures memories of Billy Corgan 15 years ago. And that╞s
not where the Pumpkins comparison ends, as the band draws
from both the moody Gish and the more accessible Siamese
Dream, with hints of Ride, the Pixies, and My Bloody
Valentine tossed in as well, making for a sound that has
the potential to go over very well with those who remember
the Pumpkins╞ salad days.
At nearly an hour long, there╞s a lot to digest on
Carnavas, and it╞s no surprise that the more upbeat
material wins us over the quickest. The lively ⌠Well
Thought Out Twinkles÷ begins with a groove riff that
sounds like something Wolfmother would do, but instead
quickly veers off into a highly melodic verse dominated by
Aubert╞s distinct rasp and lilting chords before the
primary riff makes an explosive re-entry. ⌠Little Lover╞s
So Polite÷ sounds reminiscent of Guided By Voices,
dominated by a wonderfully fuzzed-out bassline courtesy
Nikki Monninger, who plays Kim Deal to Aubert╞s Black
Francis during the bridges, the duo╞s shared lead vocals
complementing each other nicely. ⌠Future Foe Scenarios÷
shifts from winsome to brooding, a tense number that
features some of Aubert╞s best lyrics, his imagery leaving
an indelible impression ("A motorcade of µmeant to be╞s╞ /
Parades of beauty queens / Where soft entwines make
kindling / These many detailed things / Like broken nails
and plastic rings"). The wistful ⌠Common Reactor÷ brings
the album to a sublime close, the insistent melody
underscored by squalls of guitar drone before careening to
a distorted climax.
Solid as the aforementioned songs are, the more pensive
music might prove to be even more rewarding in the long
run, as the band shows there╞s more to the music than just
noisy guitars and contagious choruses. ⌠Melatonin÷ is an
understated opening track, Aubert and Monninger sharing
vocal duties over a wall of crashing chords, while
Monninger╞s ascending bassline carries the tetchy ⌠Waste
it On÷ and Aubert╞s lithe guitar accents suit the
Grandaddy-esque ⌠Lazy Eye÷ well. Keyboardist takes full
advantage of the quieter moments to add a dreampop
element, good examples being the languid ⌠Checkered Floor÷
and the lovely ⌠Rusted Wheel÷. Meanwhile, ⌠Three Seed÷
provides the prettiest moment on Carnavas, the kind of
bleary-eyed ballad that would have been a perfect fit on
the great Singles soundtrack, standing alongside the
Pumpkins╞ ⌠Drown÷.
Assured as Carnavas is, it has its imperfections, the most
noticeable glitch being the lack of a tight rhythm
section, Christopher Guanlao╞s predictable drumming
sounding utilitarian at best, and pedestrian at worst (if
anything, reminding us of just how talented a
percussionist Jimmy Chamberlin is). There╞s not an
original idea on the album whatsoever, but Silversun
Pickups, flaws and all, show enough vitality in their
performance to win us over, reminding us of a time when
hooks mattered, and American indie rock ruled, and
restoring hope that it just might happen again.