“This is a beer party,” said Silversun Pickups’ frontman Brian Aubert as he raised his cup to the cheering SpinHouse Live crowd last night. The intimate Newcastle- and Adidas-sponsored showcase featured highlights from the L.A.-based quartet’s Carnavas, opening with their bittersweet single “Well Thought Out Twinkles.” After capturing fans under the spell of his chillingly angelic vocals layered over blanketed guitar and hypnotic keyboard scapes, Aubert’s angst-fueled outcries shook audience members with their raw honesty.
“We’re influenced by everything and we pool it all together when we play,” Aubert told SPIN.com, stating a “schizophrenic sound” is the result. True to his word, the later performances of “Kissing Families” and “Rusted Wheel” had a comforting familiarity to them, yet still left their carefully crafted melancholic lyrics brewing under pools of distortion.
Often favorably compared to the Smashing Pumpkins and hailed for resurrecting the early ’90s alt-sound, Silversun Pickups still manage to escape the egoism often associated with some of their predecessors. “We’re lucky-rock,” Aubert told us, describing his band’s style. “We’re just lucky someone’s listening.” KATIE HEATH / PHOTOS BY JAY CHEN
On SPIN.com:
Artist of the Day: Silversun Pickups
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>> Listen to Silversun Pickups on Napster
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