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.

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."