CD of The Week

Was it really only 5 and a half years ago that I first saw Silversun Pickups play to a decent, but certainly not sold out, crowd at Johnny Brenda's? Oh how far they've come since those days. It wasn't too long after that "Lazy Eye" caught on and became fairly ubiquitous. A few years later, SSPU's spot atop the ranks of "alternative" bands was solidified with their 2nd full length, Swoon,chock full of catchy, well-written, masterfully performed, yet wonderfully left-of-center rock songs like "Panic Switch" and "It's Nice To Know You Work Alone."</font>

<font size="2">Three years and a lot of records and sold out shows later, the Silverlake, CA foursome could have made a three-peat very easy for themselves by writing songs that would fit neatly in a shuffle with those first two albums, but that isn't exactly what they've done with Neck Of The Woods.After spending some time away and then going back to his childhood home town to record, frontman Brian Aubert came to the realization that he could not "go home again," leading the band to decide to take a different approach to writing and recording, consciously eschewing the things that they knew and were comfortable with. Joining them on the journey was producer Jacknife Lee (U2, R.E.M., Bloc Party). </font>

<font size="2"> That this album might not be what we expected was made clear when first single "Bloody Mary (Nerve Endings)" hit the radio last month. "What's with the synths?" you might have asked yourself? Although that is probably the gothiest moment on the album, the more upbeat "The Pit" definitely shows some love for The Cure. Album opener "Skin Graph" is quite an epic way to begin with a building eerieness coming seeming out of nowhere and getting almost to the halfway mark before hitting repeated crescendos. Lest you think there isn't as much rocking to be had on Neck, just check out middle entries "Busy Bees" and "Mean Sprits."</font>

<font size="2">I would almost refer to master sound manipulator Joe Lester as the record's MVP, as there are so many layers and textures explored throughout, but to say that might take away from the the rhythm section who are most assuredly at the very top of their game. Nikki Monninger's bass plays a starring role in the penultimate "Gun-Shy Sunshine" and drummer Christopher Guanlao, as always, provides an unbreakable backbone and bombastically closes the record on "Out Of Breath." </font>

<font size="2">While Neck of The Woodsmay not instantly bash you over the head and have you singing along to its individual songs as their previous releases have, this time Silversun Pickups are playing the long game with an album that you'll derive the most from by listening start to finish repeatedly.