Neck of the Woods

Silversun Pickups | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 8, 2012)
• Original Release Date: 2012
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Dangerbird
• ASIN: B007KL8RM0
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Music
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (53 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,100 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

About the Artist

Silversun Pickups is an alternative rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 2002. The band comprises Brian Aubert, Nikki Monninger, Christopher Guanlao, and Joe Lester.

Product Description

2012 release, the third album from Los Angeles fuzz-rockers Silversun Pickups, Neck Of The Woods started with a chance meeting when the band stumbled across Grammy-winning producer Jacknife Lee while recording guest vocals for a Snow Patrol track. But Pickups frontman Brian Aubert is quick to point out that pretty much everything about the album - from producer to studio location right down to its found-photo album art - has been serendipitous. For one example of a happy accident, Aubert was surprised to discover Lee's home studio was smack in the middle of the Topanga Canyon woods, minutes from where the singer grew up. "I hadn't been back in years," he recalls. "I thought it would be fun to walk down my old street. It was like playing with fire a little bit. So much came back that I had forgotten about and it was a really emotional experience. I just realized this place and the feelings I had are still ingrained in me."

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 21 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Solid but needs a little more punch. May 8, 2012

By Phillip E. Wiltzius

Format:Audio CD

The Silversun Pickups released their 4th album today, their music continuing to evolve and change as they grow as a band. While there are no vast departures from the fuzzy, catchy guitar melodies and Brian Aubert's soft then screamy lyrics, the album shoots for a more measured approach than previous hits. You won't find a hard hitting jam like Well Thought Out Twinkles in this mix, but you'll still enjoy the journey Neck of the Woods takes you on.

The album starts out with some strong songs in Make Believe, Bloody Mary, and Busy Bees. Strong drum and guitar notes carry the listener along a ride of catchy lyrics and upbeat tempos. Mean Spirits, Gun-Shy Sunshine, and Out of Breath are also pretty strong, if lacking a bit in intensity and rawness that I've come to expect a bit with Brian Aubert.

If you're a previous Silversun Pickups fan, I'd suggest listening to this album a couple of times before passing judgment. I found some familiarity with previous Silversun Pickups albums upon repeated listens, and am pleasantly surprised by the overall album. If you give it the time for a complete listen through, you'll enjoy what you hear.

Being a fan since Pikul, there are a couple of drawbacks to this album. First of all, I felt there was a lack of harder hitting/higher intensity songs Silversun Pickups are known for (Well Thought Out Twinkles, Panic Switch). Along with that issue, I found the whole album's sound levels to be a little flatter than normal. Just something my ear picked up when I compared albums.

Overall, I'd give it 4 out of 5 stars. I might expect too much from Silversun sometimes, but they have a trait of putting out awesome songs consistently. You won't find a super hit like Lazy Eye here, but there's much to keep your ear hooked onto for awhile.

P.S.,

I absolutely hate when people reference Silversun Pickups to the Smashing Pumpkins. It's an overused and simplistic way of describing the band. Stop doing it!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Nothing new...but that's not a bad thing. May 14, 2012

By J. Hubner

Format:Audio CD

Silversun Pickups have always had a grandiose sound. They lift from one of the most grandiose bands of the 90s; the Smashing Pumpkins. Over the course of six years and three long players, Silversun Pickups have taken the big guitars, booming drums and androgynous vocals and refined them down into a laser direct punch that while not particularly original, it feeds a certain craving in generation x that can't be satisfied by the mopier indie 90s revivalists(I'm looking at you, Yuck).

The formula is pretty simple: you take big guitars, extremely loud drums and a 'is it a boy or a girl' vocal delivery. Add vague lyrics and cryptic song titles. Production-wise, give it a murky sheen. Not too pretty, but not too dark. Ambiguous. Music that makes a crowd at First Avenue move somewhere between dance and sway. Preferrably eyes closed and head cocked in a downward motion. This is how a Silversun Pickups show should go. On Silversun's newest album, Neck of the Woods, there's plenty to sway to. Album opener 'Skin Graph' starts out with gentle noise and fuzz, then quickly opens up with drums and quiet guitar. Singer Brian Aubert brings in his usual, but more reserved than normal vocal delivery. Pretty soon guitars grow into a menacing growl and Silversun Pickups deliver on the promise of a rocking new album. And it's full of great moments. 'Make Believe' starts out like Sunny Day Real Estate with manic drums and guitar intertwining before Aubert's nasally whine breaks in and reminds us who we're listening to. 'Bloody Mary(Nerve Endings) has a dreamy Cocteau Twins sound to it. Actually, a lot of Silversun Pickups sounds like some variation of Heaven or Las Vegas. A great first single, 'Bloody Mary' has all the ingredients we've come to expect and appreciate about Silversun Pickups: those guitars, the drums and that voice. 'Here We Are(Chancer) has a cool stuttering drum beat and a dreamy melody that will surely win it a spot on many a lovelorn's mixtapes(or mix CDs). 'Mean Spirits' quickly pulls you out of the lull and slaps you around a bit with a barrage of drums and driving bass. This is the type of song Silversun Pickups excel at. Very reminiscent of Carnavas track 'Well Thought Out Twinkles'. A great driving rocker. 'Out of Breath' closes the album with Depeche Mode panache. Thanks to producer Jacknife Lee, Brian Aubert's whines and squeals have been lassoed in and give his voice an urgency that was missing on previous albums. 'Out of Breath' benefits from this urgency.

From Carnavas to Swoon to Neck of the Woods, Silversun Pickups have always delivered. They have kept the epic beauty of 90s shoegaze bands like My Bloody Valentine, Lush and Ride alive and well, with Smashing Pumpkins epic wall of guitar noise and vocal angst bringing their sound into a modern musical space. If you loved 'em before, those butterflies will continue to flutter. No bullets required.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A very different Silversun Pickups that may need to grow on you May 10, 2012

By A Reviewer

Format:Audio CD

I think it's very important to know going in that this is a very different band this time around, musically. Neck of the Woods takes some of the dark edge that showed its face a bit on Swoon and expands upon it. The entire CD feels, as singer Bryan Aubert put it so perfectly, like a horror movie, and going with that theme, Neck of the Woods is far less "pretty" than past Pickups albums have been; instead, its far darker and more electronic.

It was something I worried about when I heard Jacknife Lee (Bloc Party) would be producing, and while I'd definitely say that this is not my favorite Pickups album, it's still a cool and absorbing listen with some incredibly awesome songs worthy of the Silversun Pickups name, and probably their best lyrics to date.

The CD opener, Skin Graph, starts it off perfectly, its jarring switches from calm to chaos, along with a very powerful chorus, making for a true rush that the CD takes a little while to top. There's a decent song stuck somewhere inside the 2nd track, Make Believe, but the song could have used some editing to get there. Songs like Mean Spirits, Out of Breath, and Simmer, while they have some cool stuff going on musically, are let down by somewhat underwhelming choruses which lack the infectious hooks that I'd expect from the Pickups. Simmer's another one in particular that could have been tightened up a bit.

But then just when I began to feel disappointed, Neck of the Woods brings things back with The Pit, Dots and Dashes, and Gun-Shy-Sunshine. The Pit's fast-moving and exciting, definitely woke me up after the previous two tracks. Then Dots and Dashes comes along; it sounds like Panic Switch if it was played in a nightclub from hell (and I mean that in the best possible way) with some awesome bass and a truly epic chorus. Gun-Shy-Sunshine's a cool little upbeat song that also seems to have some sadness lurking beneath. All excellent tracks. Busy Bees and Bloody Mary are other good ones.

Looking back, I'm a little surprised that I gave both Carnavas and Swoon only 4-stars. I'd say they're 5-star efforts easily, ones that I was unnecessarily critical of for whatever reason. Neck of the Woods, which I'm giving 4-stars, isn't I think up to the standards set by either Swoon or Carnavas. I truly miss the quiet beauty of tracks like Rusted Wheel and Seasick, and while it's cool to see a LOUD Pickups album, I hope future CDs see the band go back to a style that's a little more catchy and, for lack of a better word, pretty.

Still, Neck of the Woods is a must-hear for fans of the band or those who have never yet dove into a Pickups album. There are some incredible moments on here and the Pickups' usual dreamy sound is fully intact, though far darker and more aggressive.

Note: I have to point out that though the quality of this mixing is still high, it's undoubtable that it isn't quite as crisp as Swoon and Carnavas. You really have to turn the volume up *loud* to catch everything, whereas the subtleties in the other Pickups albums were far more prominent in the mix. Doesn't sound bad, just, not as good.

Excellent songs:
Skin Graph
Dots and Dashes
Gun-Shy Sunshine

Geat songs:
The Pit

Good songs:
Bloody Mary
Here We Are
Busy Bees

So-so:
Simmer
Mean Spirits
Out of Breath

Not a fan of:
Make Believe