If the serene tone of, lead single, "Bloody Mary (Nerve Endings)" had you questioning whether LA rockers Silversun Pickups had lost their edge, one listen to opening "Skin Graph" should ease your fears. Ripe with guitars revving up amidst a thundering clatter of a beat, the song's explosive hook tears through the speakers behind guitars roaring like chainsaws leading the way. The band hooked up with Grammy-winning producer Jacknife Lee (U2, Weezer) for the album, taking their fuzzed-out aesthetic to towering new heights on tracks like six-minute stunner "Simmer" while cleaning things up a bit for the electro-tinged thumping beat of "The Pit".
The tractor-beam pull of Brian Aubert's seared melodic vocals and the purposive drive of the band remains intact, with the full-bodied grooves of bassist Nikki Monninger shining throughout. The album plays as a more evolved version of their sound, while retaining the visceral thrills of their earlier work. The nimble, threatening bass groove of "Dots And Dashes (Enough Already)" gives the song a shadowy vibe that works brilliantly with the drippy synth pulsing through, resulting in a lusher sound without sacrificing their ferocity. Although new wave tinged "Gun-Shy Sunshine" opens as a twee misstep, it quickly wins you over with the gorgeous dance of funky bass and flinty guitar riffs. This is the best Silversun Pickups album to date, and a good bet for one of the best rock albums released this year.
Seek - "Skin Graph", "Dots And Dashes (Enough Already)", "Busy Bees"
For fans of - Smashing Pumpkins
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