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:: Track list & details
Over the last few years, if you came across a group in Los Angeles that had even one member living anywhere east of Hollywood, they namechecked the Silversun Pickups as one of their favorite bands. Following last summer's Pikul EP, the foursome come with Carnavas, which goes a long way toward explaining what all the fuss is about. Part Smashing Pumpkins, part My Bloody Valentine, SSPU have their sensibilities firmly planted in the mid-Nineties. Balancing the expected fuzz and feedback of pedals with heavy crunches of harsh but punchy guitar, vocalist Brian Aubert delivers with enough caustic intensity to keep you alert. Tightly wound, SSPU keep up the tension-filled, nervous energy of album opener, "Melatonin" for the duration of Carnavas, which at times pushes the listener to the point of exhaustion. This destructive energy is pulled back by the borderline psychedelic quality that is the signature passionate, graceful sound of shoegazers worldwide. Except in the case of SSPU, it's taken to the most edgy interpretation, such as on "Lazy Eye." Towards the end of Carnavas "Three Seed" calms right down into a moody, introspective place, that is still so taut with a strung-out bass line, you expect an explosion of guitars and screams at any moment. The live force SSPU emotes all over Carnavas is barely contained within the space of the album.
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