Silversun Pickups Album Recommendations: "Pikul"

Album Recommendations: Pikul

The old five-point scale has been retired in favor of just rating stuff 1-10, which allows me a much more nuanced final rating. Still don't take it that seriously. Most of these come from my own collection, so the grades skew rather high. Your results may vary if you send me stuff to review.

Each album is given three Essential tracks, my personal favorites, regardless of how weird and inconsequential they are. The Quintessential pick is the one I think best represents the album as a whole, so you can try one song instead of a whole album of songs. Non-Essential picks range from merely disappointing to outright unlistenable.

Silversun Pickups

[#] Pikul (2005)

Springtime misery.

Reviewed September 10, 2023

I have cried to this EP. "All the Go Inbetweens", a long, aching piece of guitar pop about seeking reassurance in a world long past the point where you can make a difference, is one of my favorite songs ever written. To those looking for a full-frontal guitar assault, Pikul might seem docile. These songs were recorded piecemeal while Silversun's lineup was still in flux: "The Fuzz" features their original second guitarist Kennedy, and "Go Inbetweens" was before drummer Chris Guanlao entered the picture, yet Pikul plays cohesive, a package deal. Part of that is the homebrew recordings (courtesy of the captain of The Ship, Aaron Espinoza), but what really ties things together is the band's mastery of mood from day one.

These seven tracks are loaded up with occasionally-fuzzed semi-acoustics, springy basslines (check the lumbering groove on "Booksmart Devil"), and singer-guitarist Brian Aubert's breathy, pointed rasp. Remarkably light on the palate, as cool as mint but textured as earth, while keyboards and cellos pop up from time to time, it's really the vocals you're listening for. Each shows Brian at a different stage in his development; "Go Inbetweens" sounds the shiest of the lot, while "Kissing Families" is a screaming match backed by a Sheraton. "Creation Lake", a cover of fellow L.A. indie poppers The Movies, is maybe the most striking song on the entire EP, not just because bassist Nikki Monninger sings it instead, but because it's the first time Silversun have ever actually seemed at peace.