With their striking debut, CARNAVAS, L.A.'s Silversun Pickups were flooded with Smashing Pumpkins comparisons. Far from unfounded, this analogy is only furthered by the alt-rock band's sophomore studio album, SWOON, with its driving beats, searing guitar lines, and fey vocals, most notably on the surging opener, "There's No Secrets This Year." Though slightly less obvious, another fitting reference is England's Placebo, an amped-up group of kindred spirits clearly evoked by the fierce "Panic Switch." While the Pickups are perpetually in danger of being eclipsed by these influences, the sheer force of their sonic attack (see "The Royal We") makes SWOON strangely impressive and undeniably engaging.
Silversun Pickups hold Smashing Pumpkins as close to their heart as, say, Mudhoney hold the Stooges -- perhaps even more, as Silversun Pickups (whose very initials are the same as the Pumpkins') don't attempt synthesis or reimagination, they merely seek continuance, acting as though nothing happened between Siamese Dream in 1993 and Swoon in 2009. Try as they may, the bandmembers cannot deny the passage of time, or their geography, for Silversun Pickups are creatures of their time and place, just as their idols were. At their core, the Pumpkins were Midwestern misfits, something that was evident in their very appearance and sound, something that could be heard in Jimmy Chamberlin's thundering backbeat, the skyscraping guitars of Billy Corgan and James Iha, and, especially, Corgan's outcast wail, producing a sound that found beauty in ugliness and vice-versa. In stark contrast, Silversun Pickups are nothing but pretty, shimmering sweetly on the surface, a sound suited for Los Angeles. Silversun Pickups avoid unpleasantness to such a great extent on Swoon that they rarely shift tempos or dynamics. They merely wallow in washes of sound, deriving equally from guitars and whispered vocals, never pushing forward, never achieving any sense of momentum, just glimmering in the sunlight. It's pleasant enough, particularly when the breathy vocals fade away to leave behind cascades of guitars, but even at its best, it's nothing more than an approximation of Smashing Pumpkins at their peak, with all the interesting parts stripped away. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Silversun Pickups hold Smashing Pumpkins as close to their heart as, say, Mudhoney hold the Stooges -- perhaps even more, as Silversun Pickups (whose very initials are the same as the Pumpkins) act as though nothing happened between Siamese Dream in 1993 and Swoon in 2009. Try as they may, the bandmembers cannot deny the passage of time, or their geography, for Silversun Pickups are creatures of their time and place, just as their idols were. At their core, the Pumpkins were Midwestern misfits, something that was evident in their very appearance and sound. In contrast, Silversun Pickups shimmer sweetly on the surface, a sound suited for Los Angeles. Silversun Pickups avoid unpleasantness on Swoon, wallowing in washes of sound derived equally from guitars and whispered vocals and glimmering in the sunlight. It's pleasant enough, particularly when the breathy vocals fade away to leave behind cascades of guitars, but still remains an approximation of Smashing Pumpkins at their peak. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Rolling Stone (p.66) - 3.5 stars out of 5 -- "In one song, 'Panic Switch,' singer-guitarist Brian Aubert is a fuzz orchestra unto himself, opening with a dirty grunting lick, jumping into the chorus with an iron wall of strum and stuffing the bridge with rusted treble."
Spin (p.84) - "These dreamy Los Angeles rockers keep the guitars thick and gauzy on the follow-up to their 2006
debut....A trip best made with headphones."
Entertainment Weekly (p.59) - "Album opener 'There's No Secrets This Year,' a tangle of urgent drum bursts and furrowed-brow melodies, builds a nice buzz."
Blender (Magazine) - 3.5 stars out of 5 -- "Their 10 new songs average more than five minutes, and they use the time to stack arrangements like store shelves....SSPU salute misery as a kind of ideal, the opposite of love but just as beautiful."