Silversun Pickups
Swoon: Anticipated Albums of 2009
Feb 01, 2009
Silversun Pickups
Photography by Timothy Norris
Brian Aubert is flattered that so many people mistook him for a woman after hearing his band’s breakthrough single, “Lazy Eye.”
“I can’t even tell you how much we loved it that there were guys who thought I was a girl,” the Silversun Pickups singer says. “I loved the idea of playing a show, and walking out on stage with my beard in front of some guy who was expecting to see some swanky chick instead.”
Silversun Pickups’ upcoming second album, Aubert says, should do little to clear up the gender ambiguity. “I’m going to sound even more androgynous on it,” he boasts. “All the things that people didn’t like about the last album, it’s 20 times more on this one.”
Titled Swoon and slated for an early spring release, the album promises to be darker than 2006’s Carnavas, reflecting the band’s recent trials and tribulations. After fluke radio play gave their debut unexpected legs, they capitalized on the opening and spent two years on the road promoting the CD, and although they found considerable commercial success—especially for a band without the backing of a major-label—their return to Los Angeles wasn’t the picturesque homecoming they’d hoped for.
“It’s funny because you’re so excited to be back and ready to piece your life together and for things to be nice and happy again,” Aubert says. “But when I got back, my life started to fall apart. My mother passed away, and that set the tone for all these bad times I had to face. Then we start writing the new record, and the economy started its downturn, and things all over the world began to seem so gloomy. People around you who had these amazing jobs as designers are now putting up drywall for a living, and applications at Denny’s are being filled out by people who used to be engineers.”
Aubert says as a result the new album “sounds like a nervous breakdown,” a tumultuous affair with songs both far louder and far quieter than those on Carnavas. Where that disc plowed forward with the drive of a powerhouse ’90s alt-rock record, Swoon finds time for moodier, creepier tangents. A handful of songs will introduce full string arrangements inspired by horror films such as Suspiria and early John Carpenter movies.
“We didn’t want them to be in there just to ballad-up our songs, because we’re not really a ballad band,” Aubert says of the 16-piece string section. “So we’ve got them doing all sorts of things. We wrote one song that was really aggressive, where I pulled back on the guitar so the strings could carry more of the weight. It was really different, and from the expressions on their face, it seemed like they enjoyed the challenge.”
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May 1st 2012
8:03am
Jody just letting you know i may not have been rsgteiered until now, but I am a regular blog reader! As for your list, here is some feedback from your fellow neighborhood music nut.Until reading this blog, the only songs I had heard are the Death Cab and Radiohead (duh). But I am also digging the other three songs on the list. I really like this Limousines song, even though i have not heard of them up until this point. I have been a passive Muse fan for about the past year, I really like their sound, they are just not always incorporated into my everyday casual listening. I have yet to hear their new album at all, except for uprising . I like the song, but it kind of just sounds typical Muse to me, which is pretty awesome, but I don’t know if I’d put it on my list. The Death Cab song kicks ass, along with the entire New Moon soundtrack, even though it’s kind of weird that they are tricking a generation of Pete Wentz worshiping teenage girls into obscure indie band which they would have no interest in otherwise Radiohead = awesome. Twisted words was a great song, the drums sound great. Just an awesome Radiohead tune. But, I don’t know if I’d put it on my list because I was a bit more fond of some of Thom’s solo material released this year. Silversun Pickups is a band which I have listened to solely through the friday five and other various jodi wilson posts, and I am questioning myself as I sit here writing this why I don’t have a single tune of theirs out of the 13000 songs on my iTunes library! Their musicality is far beyond what I expect of them; they are a very instrumentally sound band (love the bassline in the song above. simple, yet oh so groovy!).suggestions:I apologize ahead of time for the high amount of indie music mentioned here, but this is what the majority of my listening has consisted of this year becuase let’s face it, there’s not much else doing well these days.albums:Animal Collective merriweather post pavillion; fall be kind ep (this is most likely the direction music is going to start taking in the next decade, truly an innovative band. check out in the flowers and what would i want? sky < - grateful dead sampling!)Grizzly Bear Veckitemest (i think i already gave you this, but Two Weeks deserves a spot on this list! Excellent freak folk album.Islands Vapours if you liked the vampire weekend album last year i’d check these guys out. sort of afro poppy type deal. Switched on is incredible. saw them live at osu, put on a hell of a shownew vampire weekend album in january. the single cousins was released this year. killer tune. all for the best was my favorite release involving radiohead this year followed by hearing damage from the new moon soundtrack. thought i would mention. i would put it above both harry patch and twisted words.there’s probably lots of other stuff i’m missing too! i’ll write back later if i think of anything.
July 14th 2016
6:36pm
It sounds like you're having a wonderful weekend. Thanks for reminding me about Orangette. I hae#;&v39nt; read her blog in a while, and I should definitely check out her cookbook!