Silversun Pickups Concert for Kids
Consumable, cathartic alt-rock
Brian Aubert (guitar, vocals) * Nikki Monninger (bass)
Joe Lester (keyboards) * Christopher Guanlao (drums)
Silversun Pickups have always considered their sonic density a source of pride: The Los Angeles bandās four studio full-lengths ā including their 2006 gold-selling debut, Carnavas, which spawned the hits āLazy Eyeā and āWell Thought Out Twinklesā ā reveal additional sonic gifts with each subsequent spin.
Their fifth album, Widowās Weeds, also caters to an adventurous, patient group of listeners. Strident acoustic strumming tussles with raging electric riffs, as urgent, precise beats and moody electronic pulses percolate underneath. The band members ā which, in addition to Aubert, include bassist Nikki Monninger, drummer Christopher Guanlao and keyboardist Joe Lester ā were also in agreement with the albumās starting point (the urgent synth-rocker āNeon Woundā) and closer (the aggressive, throttling āWe Are Chameleonsā). The band admitted that everything in between, including how the rest of Widowās Weeds was sequenced and how the album unfolded, often surprised the band.
āWe didnāt know exactly which emotional level the lyrics were going to start at,ā Aubert says. āI was like, āAre they going to be angry, with these crazy times?ā Everything seems so polarized and bizarre and scary. All of these things affect you. And then as they were coming out, it was like, āNo, they sound like theyāre kind of mourning.ā I couldnāt quite put them all together.ā
To make sense of these ideas, Silversun Pickups enlisted a long-time friend: producer Butch Vig (Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, Sonic Youth). Incredibly enough, this was the first time the band had worked with Vig, even though the idea of collaborating had been floated for years. "The timing didnāt feel right until now," Aubert says. āWith the ideas that were popping around in my head, it felt like, āGod, this would be awesome; I think itās time. If Butch is interested in doing this at all, letās just call him.'ā
Vig and mixer Billy Bush helped Silversun Pickups craft a confident, extroverted album in which every instrument is clearly audible in the mix. Pulsing, Cure-like keyboards hold their own against slashing riffs on āNeon Woundā; antique-sounding violin and cello enhance fragile acoustic strumming on āStraw Manā; and the spring-loaded, glammy āIt Doesnāt Matter Whyā boasts pogoing beats and needling pizzicato plucks. The albumās more restrained moments also maintain this crispness. āSimpaticoā is āthe closest weāll get to a James Bond song,ā says Aubert, who immersed himself in movie scores as the album was coalescing. Widowās Weeds strikes a perfect balance between provocative noise and distortion, and lush, introspective pop tranquility.
The band members also decided not to go overboard layering on instruments and sounds, which contributed to the albumās clearer approach. āWe made a conscious effort to rein in the electronic stuff a little bit, and have more pianos and organs,ā Lester says. āThereās still synthy stuff on there for sure. But we have strings again, which we hadnāt done for a couple of records. And thereās a lot less sequenced electronics. It was like, āLetās strip the palette a little bit, and see what happens.ā And that goes back to the directness of things.ā
Vigās versatility and songwriting background helped the band shape other songs ā including and especially āDonāt Know Yet,ā on which glitchy, taut electronic textures segue into explosive choruses driven by brusque drums and noisy guitars. āIt has moments of intimacy, but then it really comes alive and big-sounding,ā Guanlao says of the song. āThatās all Butch. We would have probably gone a totally different direction if it wasnāt for him hearing that this once-intimate, mellow song can be really boastful and rocking.ā
In the end, recording with Vig surpassed the band membersā already-high expectations. āHe really listens to each band member, and he puts a great value on each individual, and what they can add to the music,ā Monninger says. āIt was very collaborative with him. Heās such an easygoing person, and he put everybody at ease.ā That camaraderie translated into a studio environment that involved intense and serious hard work unfolding in a jovial, even lighthearted, manner. āWe had a really fun time recording this album,ā Guanlao says. āHe really did get the best out of us. We didnāt want it to end.ā
Despite the halcyon studio time, the band members were wrestling with challenges in their personal lives. The album had to be done in two separate blocks of time, since Vig had Garbage tour plans already on the calendar, which left Silversun Pickups with a break between sessions. During that gap in time, Lesterās father passed away. Aubert, meanwhile, found himself in an extremely dark place, for reasons he couldnāt immediately explain.
āWe started making this album about mourning, and itās like, āWhat are you mourning? Are you really mourning politics and stuff like that? Or what is happening?ā I didnāt realize that I was finding myself in this space where I completely tried to take on everything myself. I couldnāt ask for help; I couldnāt let anybody in. That led me to start drinking in a different way, that I never did before.ā
As a result, Aubert ā who was already feeling āemotionally closed off,ā as he puts it ā fell into a deep depression. āI didnāt know how to get out of it,ā Aubert says. āFinally, I was just like, something big has to happen.ā His solution was getting treatment and getting sober during the gap between recording sessions ā a decision that immediately improved his mental health and creative outlook.
Unsurprisingly, Aubert also had a much different perspective on his Widowās Weeds lyrics post-treatment, and understood more what messages he was trying to convey with the album. āThe record does have a mourning vibe, but itās not sad,ā he says. āItās change. Itās growing up, and moving on and letting go of things. And itās okay to be sad about those things, and mourn them. Itās actually healthy to do so, and take the time to do it. At the end of the day, itās going to be much better and much more fulfilling when you get through it.ā
āWhen I got sober, and took a little time to myself to move as a human, we came back at the record again,ā Aubert says. āThen it was like, now weāre back into the record, and writing again. It was wild. Things are really changing, and Iām starting to emotionally connect to things, and starting to take care of myself. Iām starting to ask for help.ā
Aubertās bandmates also saw an immediate change in him as they reconvened to finish Widowās Weeds. Guanlao noticed that the vocalist was opening up to him and the rest of the band more, and allowing himself to be more vulnerable, while Monninger observed increased clarity. āIām really proud of him for coming through all this. He focused so much on the album and put so much of his heart into it ā as we all did, but especially coming out of all that, he needed something to really focus on.ā Lester also saw big, positive differences in his bandmate. āIt was like, āokay, this has actually been really good; heās gotten stuff that has probably been bothering him for a long time sorted out.āā
In a nod to Aubertās healthier mindset ā and in a big change from past working environments ā the members of Silversun Pickups welcomed friends and family into the studio as they were recording. āThis was the first album where we were open,ā Aubert says. āNot just with Butch, but with people around us. We played stuff for people. We never used to before. Weād play a little mixing and things like that. We were too shy.ā Creating this kind of social, nurturing atmosphere added levity and accountability, and kept everyone in the band grounded. āDoing this in front of people is so much more enlightening and really helps you focus on things,ā Aubert says. āWe were exposed. I see how that can be scary to people, but for us we really thrived on that.ā
Widowās Weeds ends up being about rebirth and renewal, facing darker elements of the soul (or society) head-on, and choosing to either engage ā or leave them behind. This shift toward blunt candor wasnāt lost on Lester. āI feel Brianās lyrics have gotten more direct over the last couple of records. Heās much more open and less coy about what heās singing about. Thereās less trying to put Vaseline on the lens.ā
Over the years, Silversun Pickups have racked up 210 million worldwide streams and 10 Top 20 hits on Billboardās Alternative Songs chart, led by 2009ās ferocious chart-topper āPanic Switch.ā Nearly 20 years after the band formed, itās not lost on Monninger that theyāre one of the few groups theyāve grown up with who have sustained a career. āI donāt know many bands that have lasted that long,ā she says. āBut we started as friends first, and we care about each other ā you know, this is our second family. We really believe in what weāre doing. Weāre going to take it as far as we can.ā
For Aubert, moving forward involves staying connected to his own self (and remembering to prioritize self-care) and being attuned to creative impulses when they arise. If that means going outside of his comfort zone, so be it. āThis album feels the most naked out of all of them,ā Aubert says. āThatās scary at first. But that goes into my whole headspace. That goes into how things went down. It was like, āHey man, you were so unaware of the things you needed, and so closed off. Just do it. Stop hiding. It was crushing you. Donāt be afraid.ā"
- website:
- http://www.silversunpickups.com/
- Spotify:
- http://play.spotify.com/artist/6qyi8X6MdP1lu6B1K6yh3h
- Facebook:
- http://www.facebook.com/silversunpickups
- Twitter:
- http://twitter.com/sspu
- YouTube:
- http://www.youtube.com/silversunpickups
- Instagram:
- http://instagram.com/sspu/