2.09.2006

Silversun Pickups: Kissing Families


If you are like me, your informative music years were primarily during the grunge rock/alternative decade that we call the 90s. Sure there was other stuff going on. (gangster rap/britpop) but those two were the ones that everyone talks about. Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Sound Garden, NIN, Bush, STP, etc. Are the big names that came out of the states at that time.
One of the other HUGE bands that will always be synonymous with that 90s are the Smashing Pumpkins. The first time I heard Siamese Dream and Gish will always be foremost in my mind as a moment of discovering something I LIKED. The Pixies is another one that sooo many people I know say hit that chord in them. With the over-saturation of the "alternative" music genre through 10 years, other styles developed and the musicial tide swung back towards pop. Many of weaned on anti-pop snobbishness were forced to shore up our disdain and declare music dead for the past 5 years. Growing up in LA, I was particularly disgusted to find that my own city, so well regarded by the rest of the world as being on the cutting edge of, well everything, was producing the most trite crap on its underground scene as to make Blink 182 seem like Elvis Costello. Just pure crap.
Now, I'm well aware that being in my mid twenties I've hit that "My shit is on the way out" moment where the music I grew up with is now becoming flashback music on radio stations. Wow. But I recently picked up on a Band Called the Silversun Pickups that are a nice throwback to my shit. Angsty, but making it a fashion point not to be fashionable. And surprise, surprise, they're from LA. Way to go home team! Silversun Pickups reminds me of that first time we heard Siamese Dream or listened to Surfer Rosa all the way through. Not necessarily that potent, but there is something there. The emotion seems to come through, with just the right amount of aggression and conviction to sell themselves to you without pushing it too far. I like that. Black Francis and Kim Deal are definitely influences here, as well as Billy Corigan.
Distorted Guitars, Background fuzz, a varied vocal style, mixed with a nice blend of aggro and melody make for a potent cocktail here. The six Song EP was released mid 2005 but I've heard precious little about them. Filter put them on their "Bands to Watch" CD sometime recently.

Anyway here's a video for the lead track off the their debut EP "Pickul"
Kissing Familes
They've also got a MySpace Page with a few MP3s.

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