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Week 27:
Silversun Pickups
Artist Introduction
Hailing from Los Angeles, Silversun Pickups formed back in 2000 and have one of my favorite band name origin stories. A cool name on its own, they are named after a liquor store called “Silversun” in which the band members would often make late night booze runs, hence the name Silversun Pickups. Over the last two and a half decades Silversun Pickups has carved out a lane in the alternative rock scene that I find to be a shining pearl in a sea of mediocrity. Their ability to jump from a simple almost airy sound into an absolute fury is so difficult to describe. I’ve been trying to put their sound into words the last couple weeks while I’ve worked on my deep dive and I can only describe their music as sitting in the eye of a hurricane. Their music is both the calm before the storm and the storm itself. Often featuring dreamy verses the band sits on a razor’s edge waiting to explode into a distorted wall of sound during their choruses. I don’t think we’ve explored any bands similar to them yet so I hope they provide a refreshing take on what rock n roll can be.
Vin Cascella
Most Popular
Lazy Eye
I’m going against what I’ve said in a lot of our recent selections but this “Most Popular” section is exactly what you get with this band. “Lazy Eye” is by far their biggest track and it’s a quintessential Silversun Pickups song. Chill melodies and airy vocals that sit on a razor’s edge waiting to break loose. And when they do break loose their signature wall of sound takes over. Lots of fuzz and lots of distortion. A little fun fact about this song: Lead singer Brian Aubert had an “extreme” lazy eye as a child that required multiple surgeries and it still acts up on occasion. Wild that their biggest song is called Lazy Eye.
Panic Switch
Following Lazy Eye you get this absolute banger of a rock song. Guitar, bass, and drums all kick ass in the opening of this song. The verse has the same drum and basslines without the guitar but with the airy vocals. Then the guitar comes roaring back in for the pre-chorus and all the pedal distortion kicks in for the chorus with some background melody. You get another sequence of that for the second verse and chorus before a light bass led bridge that completely erupts for the guitar solo. Another band who makes great use of guitar tones and effects. This is a damn good rock song.
Circadian Rhythm (Last Dance)
Although one of their most popular you could also argue that this song belongs in the unique section. It’s a bit lighter than a lot of their other work leaning into a dreamy synth rock sound and bassist Nikki Monninger takes a co-lead vocal role in this track. It might be a little difficult to tell the difference between voices but after a few weeks of heavy Silversun listening they both have some nice distinct differences. I think lead singer Brian Aubert’s androgynous singing voice is a great benefit to the band. It really helps juxtapose the airy sections with the distorted instrumental parts.
Personal Favorites
Freakazoid
This song is the biggest reason why I chose Silversun Pickups. I hadn’t heard them in years and then in 2018 their 5th studio album Widow’s Weeds was released and I was back in. I loved this song when it was released and I was sure this was going to be one of my top personal favorites. And then after spending a couple weeks going through their catalogue I had a list that completely excluded this song. Don’t get me wrong, I like this song alot. It’s a solid rock song. I love the bassline, the strings, the restrained un-distorted guitar solo, but, after going through the rest of their discography I found this song to be a little generic compared to some of their other tracks. I also considered dropping this into the unique category but in the end I decided that I probably would not have selected this band if not for Widow’s Weeds and specifically this track. “Seasick” would have replaced this track if I was to drop it.
The Royal We
This has become a top track for me. It’s so fucking solid throughout. You get the strings (we all know I love strings) from the previous track but now with all the parts that make Silversun Pickups so great. This song goes right into a verse that builds tension until the distortion and strings get turned to 11 in the chorus. And then similar to Panic Switch they break everything down in the bridge just to build it back up for a guitar solo and massive finale. The second half of this song combines the best aspects of “Lazy Eye” and “Panic Switch”. Lows and highs, great guitar tones and explosive energy. The last 45 seconds with the repeated “The Royal We” and all the strings at full force is excellent.
Well Thought Out Twinkles
And our next song immediately goes into a Queens of the Stone Age style style guitar riff. Another song that has really good guitar tones. Heavily distorted bass is present pretty much the entire song. The guitar swaps between clean and FUZZY. A little funny thing I learned about this band: They are jokingly referred to as a “Shoegaze” band because they have to spend so much time staring at their shoes looking for which pedal to hit. Similar to Thrice I think this band has a great understanding of building an atmosphere in their music. They may be a little more straightforward in their genre than Thrice is (not a bad or a good thing, just a thing) but damn have they carved out a lane of their own. I know dad is going to be looking for live versions of these songs and I think this song is a great choice to check out a live version. Oh, would you look at that, this exact live show has 5 out of 9 of my songs (Substitution also rocks). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6Ig0M_cIUo
Unique Songs
Long Gone
After the wall of sound that is the Silversun Pickups I wanted to add an acoustic track. Except, this is hardly an acoustic track in the traditional sense. “I wanted to do an acoustic song, but not a 'slow song,..." says frontman Brian Aubert. "It had to be really kicking, and I was thinking of Johnny Marr or a Western-style Ennio Morricone vibe." I don’t know who those people are but I completely agree that this is a “kicking” acoustic track. It still has that airy vibe while still being incredibly tense. “Long Gone” is off their most recent album, Tenterhooks (2026). This album along with the two previous albums Physical Thrills (2022), and Widow’s Weeds (2019) were produced by Butch Vig who famously produced Nirvana’s “Nevermind”, Smashing Pumpkin’s “Siamese Dream”, and Foo Fighters “Wasting Light”. I mention this because I think Smashing Pumpkins have a very comparable sound, first in the unorthodox voice and second in the wall of sound that they produce. It’s funny that their three most recent albums probably have the least “wall of sound” approach out of anything in their discography. But yea, pretty wild that Butch Vig has produced three of this band’s albums.
Alone On A Hill
One of the few tracks in Silversun’s entire discography where bassist Nikki Monninger takes the lead. I was between this and “Creation Lake” off their debut EP. Both stripped down electronic synth rock songs with Nikki as the lead vocalist. Just continuing to show their range. Is it a great song? Not particularly but it’s a great break from all the other noise in this selection and I’ve grown to like it as much as some of their heavier tracks.
Growing Old Is Getting Old
And now my favorite discovery in my deep dive. This song has a long wind up but I really like the payoff. We start with a spacy atmospheric intro where the bass takes the lead for the first 3 minutes while we hardly get any drums or guitar. We get a bunch of atmospheric synth during the first few minutes which I haven’t mentioned yet in this review. Lots of atmospheric synth with this band. And then the song just takes off from there. I don’t think I mentioned this but lead singer Brian is also the lead guitarist. Pretty cool considering how hard some of these songs rip. Guitar kicks in at 3:15 with some fun bass work and then the drums kick in 15 seconds later (Drummer kind of reminds me of Grohl with the way he wails on his kit, see live versions).. And then for the next two minutes you just get a steady build. 4:15 on we switch into overdrive and don’t let off the gas until the end of the song. Really solid stuff.
Conclusions
This was a fun one for me. I’ve always liked Silversun Pickups but never really dove into them past the few songs I knew. I used to think they were just a decent alternative rock band with an androgynous singer that set them apart but I was so wrong. The band is full of talent at every instrument and they really know how to build an atmosphere in their music. And they incorporate strings in their music! Now with all of that being said, how do I score them? Based on how I’ve reviewed them you would think I’m going to shoot for the moon. But I have to be realistic. They are for sure solid and I’ll argue that they are underrated all day. And I think that’s where I’m going to land. A solid underrated band who has carved out a lane for themselves in the alternative rock space that I would love to see live (Hopefully next week at the Stone Pony!)
8.0
Cascella Family Reviews
Dad Cascella
I guess my first introduction to Silversun Pickups was listening to Vincent and Joseph play their music thru either video game RockBand or Guitar Hero. I believe I know 3 or 4 of these selections but not much about the band, so I’m looking forward to the deep dive. And yes, for many years, I thought Nikki the bass player was the lead vocalist, and subsequently learned it’s actually Brian the guitarist on most vocals.
LAZY EYE- of course I know this one, with its solid rhythm with a very cool guitar following throughout. There’s nothing fancy here but it’s extremely catchy. Love the build at 2:45, then a dreamy interlude at 3:20. A bit like YES, but more hip (I can’t believe I used the word hip). Vocals, lyrics, guitar, bass, drums, and keyboard all work perfectly in this one. A great start.
PANIC SWITCH- My favorite SSPU song. Again, nothing very fancy but such a damn, cool 50 second opening, with drums and bass leading the way. A little similar to previous song, but continues with the coolness, with great lyrics and a really good chorus. I’m not usually a fan of echo’ed vocals, but Brian makes it work excellently. And Nikki sure knows how to play a cool bass line. Then at the 4 minute mark, a bit of a bustout by the whole band, but too short I think. I wanted more.
CIRCADIAN RHYTHM (Last Dance)- A simple Pop song with simple lyrics, but I’m digging the shared vocals. Not much else to say, I thought it was an OK song.
FREAKAZOID- Alright then, SSPU’s are back. Loving the low vibe and off-beatness of this one. Lyrics and vocals are so cool (sorry I keep using the word cool, but it just fits this bands’ sound). Another song that has multiple changes throughout. Really good rock song. And it’s just as good when Brian and Nikki perform it by themselves acoustically.
THE ROYAL WE- Never heard this one before. A dark song? Lyrics suggest darkness with a little bit of Aenema feel. Similar sounding to others in the selections. A little bit of explosion by the band at 3:15, but this song screamed for a heavier, extended bust-out, but it didn’t happen. But still a good song.
WELL THOUGHT OUT TWINKLES- Well this is a different rocking beginning and sound, a song I’ve heard before. Really liking the guitar leading the bass and drums. Wow, then a switch to bass leading the way. Now back to screeching guitar. And the ending is really cool. Another solid rock song.
LONG GONE- Trying to figure this one out. I’m liking the faster pace, but damn Nikki, let that bass go, let it fly. She should have been given the lead throughout this whole song. It has such a cool, soft bass sound, definitely different. Another good song.
ALONE ON A HILL- Piano opening and throughout to a nice pleasant song. If I didn’t know it, I would not have thought it’s the SSPU’s, so kudo’s for different. I was a little indifferent about this song, but after several listens, I really got into the lyrics.
GROWING OLD IS GETTING OLD- Damn, another cool bass line. A lot of little things, musically, happening here, including a bit of a mystical sound. Then at 3:30 we get the band cooking, and it gets better at 4:20. Wish they’d do this more. I actually knew this song, but didn’t know it was SSPU’s. Excellent selection to end this listen.
For me, this was a very good, and very informative dive. Much of the music of SSPU’s works very well for me. I’m a sucker for bass driven rock (TOOL) and Brian’s use of multiple ways to distort the sounds of his guitars is sometimes genius. Nikki (who by the way looks just like the actress Alison Janney, look up the comparison) is more than capable on bass, laying down not too sophisticated but very catchy and strong bass lines. Joe on keyboards supplies good work to go with the bands rhythms. And Christopher on drums is more than solid. Watch him live and he’s a bit of a wildman. Speaking of live versions, like many other bands, SSPU’s are truly better when they’re rocking live (Lollapalooza 2016 Panic Switch, Houston 06/2024 Well Thought Out Twinkles, and I especially enjoyed their TV debut on David Letterman 12/2006 Lazy Eye). I was trying to figure out what kind of band SSPU”s are, and I learned a new music description, for me, called Showgaze. Yup, I’m sure you guys know it, but It’s the first time I’ve heard of it. And it fits this band perfectly. Now, with all this being said, I also thought some of their music is repetitive, sounding like some of their other work. And the biggest surprise I learned is that Butch Vig has produced 3 SSPU’s albums. Knowing this, I’m surprised the band rarely cuts loose, musically, on some of their songs on studio work. Watching live performances, they are more than capable of jamming and rocking, and a few of the songs in these selections lend themselves to rocking out longer. I saw comparisons of this band to Smashing Pumpkins, but to me, they’re much better. They rock better, have a cooler stage presence (believe it or not), and their songs are better. I actually see a little bit of MUSE in them. Would really like to see them live. I’ll go with a 7.8
Joe Cascella
I believe I know two songs from the Silversun Pickups, both of which are on the most popular tracks, so this should be a fun listen for me. From what they’re a rock band, they have a unique sound, and it see they’re kinda in their own lane in a way. Let’s see!
Lazy Eye – Yup, I know this song right away. Very familiar. Solid bass, basic drumming, good flow and structure. Vocally, it’s nothing I care about too much. I love the explosion around the 2:45 mark, which I feel like the whole song is built for. They really pick it up well. This is a fun song and a good start (I’ve been waiting for this moment… yeah at 2:45 lol)
Panic Switch – This is the other song I know. I love the intro, bass work going off, faster drumming, distorted guitars. The pace is fantastic off the rip and it gets me going. Lyrically you can just feel the anxiety spilling out. Interesting from the front man of a band lol. It’s such a unique vocal sound. I’m curious what his talking voice is like. And my goodness, another explosion of music around the 4-minute mark following a really soft and light bridge. I am very much enjoying this song, they kept the pace throughout and it slapped hard. Good shit.
Circadium Rhythm – Slow sad little song here. And we have another vocalist, female, so that’s exciting. They can make some cool blends, I’m sure. Maybe she was in the previous songs too singing, idk. I feel like this song can be in the video game Portal. Not exactly up my alley, but it’s fine.
Freakazoid – Let’s see what Vin’s favorites are all about. I’m expecting some more musical explosions. Funky rhythm off the rip, with some really fun bass. Vocally, it’s a bit more classic rock than what we’ve heard so far. The flow and transitions are smooth, which I always appreciate. I guess this guy can actually sing a bit. It’s a very strange song, I don’t love the middle chorus/verses (idk what they are). Musically they’re very tight. What the hell is the unique section gunna look like with this band??
The Royal We – Such a distinct sound as a band, mainly through the vocals. The vocals are unfortunately my least favorite part of the band and I’m having a tough time getting by it. The band is so tight and the off-beat drumming of this song is really cool. Towards the end when the sing inevitably picks up and kind of explodes, it actually sounds like Maynard from last week’s selection. Fine song, not loving it, not hating it.
Well Thought Out Twinkles – A great rocking start. When the band is all going at once, it’s pretty crazy the flow state they keep with so much happening. I like the pairing of vocals here. That heavy bass is fucking ripping good, real solid stuff. This was my favorite instrumentation since early on.
Long Gone – This doesn’t even sound like them at all lol, very unique for them for sure. Long gone is a fair title, cause this song will forever remove itself from my brain forever. I just don’t care for it much at all. Sorry not sorry.
Alone on a Hill – Credit for being unique, I wouldn’t know it’s them. It’s a fine song about loneliness and the metaphors are solid. Not much to it.
Growing Old is Getting Old – I love when they lead into the bass immediately. It is old growing old, that’s for sure. I like this song, a nice slow build throughout. They do a lot in the background that comes through well. This time the song picks up at the 3:30 mark, and the band really is solid, so I can’t take that away from them.
Overall Review: The bass and drums carry this band. They do a really good job of building up their music and peaking at the right times. The flow and transitions are really great. I’m just having a really tough time with the vocal sound. It was good for the 2 songs that I knew, and that was about it. His voice almost annoys me. The female singer is fine, but also nothing overly impressive. They would probably be more fun to see live than the radio versions of their songs. I love Panic Switch as a song so that helps them and musically, I really liked the sound of the drum/bass combo so I’ll keep them in the 7’s. I’ll go 7.1
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