New Silversun Pickups:Swoon

[3-LockBox]

They might, but I don't...this is a rather uninspired, lazy sounding followup to very good debut from 2006, Carnavas. Considering their last album was three years ago, you might expect a different sounding album, and well, this album is different in one important regard...its bland. Nothing jumps out at me , like the Smashing Pumpkinesque Lazy Eye or Three Seed from the last one. Here, the songs are the same tempo throughout the entire album. They don't even mine the pop hook layden alt-metal vein ala Coheed & Cambria like they did on songs like Future Foe Scenario, Dream At Tempo 119 or Common Reactor from the last album.

Maybe I need more time with it, but it isn't the instant grabber for me like Carnavas was. Admittedly, I've only heard once, but I am feeling glad that it isn't mine (I borrowed it from someone else). Save for one or two songs, I can't think of a reason to buy it. Maybe Carnavas was just that good of an album and I had high hopes. Anyhoo, maybe I'll revisit this one at a later date.

[Finch Platte]

They might, but I don't...this is a rather uninspired, lazy sounding followup to very good debut from 2006, Carnavas. Considering their last album was three years ago, you might expect a different sounding album, and well, this album is different in one important regard...its bland. Nothing jumps out at me , like the Smashing Pumpkinesque Lazy Eye or Three Seed from the last one. Here, the songs are the same tempo throughout the entire album. They don't even mine the pop hook layden alt-metal vein ala Coheed & Cambria like they did on songs like Future Foe Scenario, Dream At Tempo 119 or Common Reactor from the last album.

Maybe I need more time with it, but it isn't the instant grabber for me like Carnavas was. Admittedly, I've only heard once, but I am feeling glad that it isn't mine (I borrowed it from someone else). Save for one or two songs, I can't think of a reason to buy it. Maybe Carnavas was just that good of an album and I had high hopes. Anyhoo, maybe I'll revisit this one at a later date.

Thanks for the review. I've been curious about this one.

Any chance I could get a copy?

[3-LockBox]

Thanks for the review. I've been curious about this one.

Any chance I could get a copy?

I already gave the copy back. I might see the guy in another week or so - I listened to it once, in my car and didn't have a chance to rip it - the dude is a friend of a former co-worker, so I didn't feel obliged to keep for more than a listen. If I see if my former aquaintence happened to rip it.

Do you have their first album?

[Swish]

Thanks for the review. I've been curious about this one.

Any chance I could get a copy?

I heard a little bit of it and was far from impressed. A review on Pitchfork gave it a very mediocre 5.3, and this paragraph is my favorite in Ian Cohen's review;

More often, it's tougher to tell when the Pickups should've cut. Though Swoon never becomes unpleasant, Aubert's lyrics and melodies are so wishy-washy that you'd think they were going out of their way to be ignored. Hardly any melodic turns stick among these slippery and repetitive textures-- the Pickups are so mesmeric at times that if they had more groove, they could pass for a Krautrock band.

If you don't give a rat's rump about reviews, then go for it. Otherwise...

[3-LockBox]

the Pickups are so mesmeric at times that if they had more groove, they could pass for a Krautrock band....

I'd say that was spot on. This takes some effort. Even though I've only one or two run throughs, it was repetative enough to warrant constant looks at the track number to see if the song had changed. I know I like my prog, but these songs offer little in the area of tempo change, let alone jamming, time signature changes or multi-suite interplay. Its wall-to-wall-o-sound on most tracks. Interstingly enough, their most diverse offerings were at the end of the CD...the last four tracks shoulda started the CD. Odd follow-up - call it sophmore slump. Its why I never fully invested into Coheed And Cambria - for every song with a great hook, there's three tracks of grinding meander.

[Finch Platte]

I'd say that was spot on. This takes some effort. Even though I've only one or two run throughs, it was repetative enough to warrant constant looks at the track number to see if the song had changed. I know I like my prog, but these songs offer little in the area of tempo change, let alone jamming, time signature changes or multi-suite interplay. Its wall-to-wall-o-sound on most tracks. Interstingly enough, their most diverse offerings were at the end of the CD...the last four tracks shoulda started the CD. Odd follow-up - call it sophmore slump. Its why I never fully invested into Coheed And Cambria - for every song with a great hook, there's three tracks of gringing meander.

Ok, ok. Nevermind. Thanks for offering and yeah, I have the first one.

And what the hell is "gringing meander"?

Whatever it is, I like it!

fp

[3-LockBox]

And what the hell is "gringing meander"?

Grinding meander - overt wall-o-sound that really doesn't go anywhere - unsatisfing dissonance. (yeah, I mispelled)