2008 Woodie Awards
New Silversun Pickups CD is a (decent) downer
Jeremy Carmona
Issue date: 11/29/07 Section: Entertainment
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11/29/07 - Until emo bands came along, rarely could a rock band make an album that was laced with complete monotonic efforts and have success at achieving attention from a crowd.
Carnavas shows that the Silversun Pickups could potentially have shed some light on the dark and dreary folks of rock, and show the world that not everything is peachy and colorful.
The production on Carnavas proves to be lackluster. Each song on the album is hard to distinguish because the vocals and instrumentals sound identical.
Listening to the album, the songs - granted they mildly mimic each other - have a distinctive way of drawing the listener into the Pickups secret, yet melancholy, perspective.
"Melatonin," the album's opener, graces listeners with a bizarre dream-like psychosis sound, similar to The Postal Service infused with Silverchair. Everything from the lyrics to the percussion is muffled and disorientated.
Something to help pick up the sad vibe, "Future Foe Scenarios," is a tale that is filled with angst, rage and tormented revelations about seeking revenge on a former bully. This is one of the better songs on the album because of its varied intense guitar riffs and mild hint of drums but, unfortunately, it's oversaturated with synthesizers.
On "Dream At Tempo 119" an angelic voice sings, "awaken from a state of peaceful bliss," and is then momentarily interrupted by the same voice that has plagued the entirety of the album.
Tracing commonalities and muffling static dance hand-in-hand as "Common Reactor" waltzes into scene. The lead singer pacifies the intense bombardment of heavy guitar riffs and bumbling drums, and his voice never loses volume.
At first, I believed that the Pickups showed lack of creativity, resulting in an album that could be compiled into one strenuous song, but then I listened to the album again.
The dreariness of the songs doesn't quite mean that depression and hatred for the world is the theme ... The theme is more along the lines of waiting for something better to come.
The Pickups sympathize with the youth, and thus the music is a representation of its struggle and easy-going life.
I give Carnavas a thumb and a half (if possible) for its creativity and distinct rock sound.
Carnavas shows that the Silversun Pickups could potentially have shed some light on the dark and dreary folks of rock, and show the world that not everything is peachy and colorful.
The production on Carnavas proves to be lackluster. Each song on the album is hard to distinguish because the vocals and instrumentals sound identical.
Listening to the album, the songs - granted they mildly mimic each other - have a distinctive way of drawing the listener into the Pickups secret, yet melancholy, perspective.
"Melatonin," the album's opener, graces listeners with a bizarre dream-like psychosis sound, similar to The Postal Service infused with Silverchair. Everything from the lyrics to the percussion is muffled and disorientated.
Something to help pick up the sad vibe, "Future Foe Scenarios," is a tale that is filled with angst, rage and tormented revelations about seeking revenge on a former bully. This is one of the better songs on the album because of its varied intense guitar riffs and mild hint of drums but, unfortunately, it's oversaturated with synthesizers.
On "Dream At Tempo 119" an angelic voice sings, "awaken from a state of peaceful bliss," and is then momentarily interrupted by the same voice that has plagued the entirety of the album.
Tracing commonalities and muffling static dance hand-in-hand as "Common Reactor" waltzes into scene. The lead singer pacifies the intense bombardment of heavy guitar riffs and bumbling drums, and his voice never loses volume.
At first, I believed that the Pickups showed lack of creativity, resulting in an album that could be compiled into one strenuous song, but then I listened to the album again.
The dreariness of the songs doesn't quite mean that depression and hatred for the world is the theme ... The theme is more along the lines of waiting for something better to come.
The Pickups sympathize with the youth, and thus the music is a representation of its struggle and easy-going life.
I give Carnavas a thumb and a half (if possible) for its creativity and distinct rock sound.