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Silversun Pickups break new ground on current effort
By John Benson
Silversun Pickups visionary Brian Aubert knows there’s a certain sound created when his band plays its brand of modern alternative music.
He calls it Silversunny. We call it shoegazey. Whatever the case, it’s basically swelling guitars washing over his nasally vocals and moody keyboards. In fact, that description fits the band’s 2009 breakthrough effort “Swoon,” which included radio hits “Panic Switch,” “Substitution” and “The Royal We.”
However, for the outfit’s latest effort, “Neck of the Woods,” which was released in the spring, Aubert knew a change, albeit subtle, was needed.
“When we were making our second record ‘Swoon,’ we thought at the time we were really moving ourselves forward,” said Aubert, calling from Atlanta. “Then as we were performing it live, the older songs and ‘Swoon’ songs felt a little more similar than we thought. We kind of learned that when we were writing ‘Swoon,’ the songs that were coming out weird, we were accidentally strangling them to make them make a little bit more sense to us.’”
Aubert said he has no regrets with “Swoon,” but the band would be remiss to repeat the same pattern.
“This time if there was something really odd, instead of setting a big sonic blast down to make it more Silversunny in our heads, we refused to do it,” Aubert said. “You realize as you go along that you have rules that you didn’t realize. Like you start putting up these sort of signature things and you’re not aware of it. With this record, we were quite aware we were doing that and it’s time to stop. And if we don’t stop now, we’ll never stop.”
Someone who was well aware of the Silversun Pickups’ penchant for taking the safe route was producer Jackknife Lee (U2, R.E.M., Snow Patrol, Weezer), who pushed and prodded the band to explore the unknown and break new ground.
The result is still decidedly Silversun Pickups but there are numerous examples on “Neck of the Woods’ where the outfit took a road previously less traveled. Aubert points to the quiet track “Here We Are,” which finds the lead singer’s vocals acting as the hook more than any guitar or keyboard sounds.
Then there’s also “Dots and Dashes (Enough Already),” which starts off as a basic 4/4 classic rock-sounding track with the drums and keyboard out front.
Aubert’s easily identifiable vocals still make the song Silversunny, if you will, but the digressions are just enough to make “Neck in the Woods” a departure from “Swoon.”
Fans will get a chance to hear the new material when Silversun Pickups come back through the Rock Hall City for a Sunday show at the House of Blues.
Aubert said he has fond memories of Northeast Ohio. This includes passing out at the Grog Shop in the early ’00s with another band and playing an intimate show at the Lakewood Civic Auditorium a few years ago.
Apparently the latter gig made quite a negative impression with the members of opening acts Cage the Elephant and Manchester Orchestra. They were unhappy because the Lakewood Civic Auditorium was dry.
“They weren’t used to playing to people who were sober,” Aubert laughed. “We didn’t mind, but at the House of Blues we’re allowed to legally have a drink on stage. So that sounds good.”