The Silver Sun Pickups

It’s been about a week or so since I posted last. Yes I know you are all on pins and needles to read what I write next. I am always looking for new bands and or acts that strike my fancy. Over the Thanksgiving weekend I took a trip down to Dallas to say hello to the family and stuff myself with all the holiday goodies I could. I survived Black Friday, and even had the time to slip into a Dallas bar and catch some music. Get a couple drinks in me and I can be quiet the chatter box. While I was sipping on my Gin and Tonic I struck up a conversation with a gentleman who looked like he just came from a cattle drive. He seemed a bit out of place, since it wasn’t a cowboy bar, and the live music didn’t have a bit of twang or slide guitar in it. He told me that he worked at a ranch just outside of the city and during the weekends, after work, he would come to Dallas and catch the local Indie bands that would play.

After a few more drinks he started talking to me about this band he had seen a few months ago called Vetiver. I had heard of them in the past, but the name was in passing and really didn’t stick in my brain. Now drunk people are not the most reliable source when it comes to music, and when someone raves about a band it usually ends up to be a disappointment when experienced first hand. I will say that he was very convincing and to my luck he was able to pass me a burned copy of Vetiver’s album To Find Me Gone. As I said my good byes to the guy, I was a bit apprehensive to listen to the thing. I thought I was going to be subjected to some southern twang that would make me want to turn my newly acquired burned CD into a Frisbee and play a little bit of urban Frisbee golf. What I found was quiet the opposite.

The album starts out with the track “Been So Long”. There is a buildup of empty feedback which leads to a drum and tambourine beat that oddly reminded me of Native American drumming. This song sets the pace for the first part of the album. It’s a light walk that isn’t rushed or trying to portray the sense of urgency or despair. Through the bulk of the album everything seems to just walk and take it’s time. The track “The Porter” serves to almost bring the album to a crawl, and reminded me of a happy folk song that was easily in the realm of Neil Young. About 30 minutes into the album nothing had crept up on me and the almost whisper like vocals were making my drive feel very pleasant, when the track “Red Lantern Girls” explodes about half way through into a almost screeching guitar part that lasts for a good two minutes before the song ends.

The album ended with “Down At El Rio” that was almost like the closing credits for the album. I was surprised after listening to the album. I had a huge smile on my face and felt like I had been taken on a ride. Though the road was not bumpy, it was enjoyable none-the-less. The album is more in the style of folk, but off beat folk that any Indie fan would not mind to give a spin. I don’t want to say that it thrilled me to the point of epic delight, but I know for a fact I will add this to my normal rotation, or pop it in for the next time I need to wind down or go on a soothing walk and listen to music. If you want to hear the album in almost it’s entirety, stop by there website/blog to give it a listen.

-Ty

It has now been confirmed that SilverSun Pickups will be playing a few more shows before Christmas. Before the shows were announced that group only confirmed that it would play a few scattered shows around the country, most of them being holiday line-ups for radio stations. The band will not be touring with anyone, and is scheduled to play the shows with other bands that are touring separately as well.

4 - Charlotte, NC - Amos’ Southend
5 - Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
6 - Mesa, AZ - Mesa Amphitheatre
9 - Universal City, CA - Gibson Amphitheater
12 - Chicago, IL - House of Blues
13 - Austin, TX - Emo’s
14 - Grand Prairie, TX - Nokia Theatre
15 - St. Louis, MO - The Pageant
16 - Duluth, GA - The Arena at Gwinnett Center

Yesterday I did an album review of Loveless by My Bloody Valentine. The album was the last studio album from the band, and shortly there after the band went on indefinite hiatus. It’s been almost 10 years since any new music has been released or a show played. In the early part of 2007 it was announced by Kevin Shields that the band had gotten back together to write some new material. The details were sorted at best, and left allot of questions as to what was actually going on. It has now been confirmed that not only is an album on the way but that it is about 75% complete. To add to this news, the band has also announced that they will be playing shows in mid 2008. They will be all UK dates, but they have stated that there is a desire to have a world tour in support of the new album, which is yet to have a title. With the new album, the band also plans to release a compilation of there early material as well as unreleased music and some possible b-sides.

This weekend was filled with various types of alcohol, that all seemed to come together in my stomach. Rather then me get sick all over the house, I was left with what I would call a proper hang over. I try as best as I can to keep everything within reason when it comes to drinking, but sometimes I can underestimate just exactly how many gin & tonics are too many. The next morning I am left feeling the burn of the night prior and in the need of some good hangover music. Flipping through the collection I stopped on My Bloody Valentine’s Loveless. I had heard the album countless times and thought it would curve the growing cramps in my stomach. Also I figured for the sake of want-to-be-journalism, I would try my hand at an album review in post inebriated state.

I retired to the “Thinking Couch” and took a listen. In the early 90’s the only thing you could hear on the radio was Grunge, or some variation there in. The Indie scene was very far removed from the mainstream, but this gem seemed to shine bright in a sea of cookie-cutter bands at the time. Loveless starts out with the track “Only Shallow” which in the beginning sounds more like the intro for a Melvin’s song then what you would expect from an Indie act. The song soon almost does a back flip into a fuzzy haze of guitar overdubbing, while Billinda Butcher’s sleepy vocals wrap the song into a triumphant starting track. The album walks along into a sonic experience that Billy Corgan only wish he could have thought of. The Track “To Here Knows When” is sampled against an orchestra which makes it seem other worldly, and a cut from a Stanley Kubrick movie, but doesn’t break the seal of annoying or trippy by any means.

The midway point of the album came with the song “Sometimes”. The album up to that point is a build up and really lets everything go with the track. Under the wall of sound is a nicely arranged pop song that without the fog would stand by itself, but with the addition of the layer makes it swirl together very nicely. The last track “Soon” comes in at just under 7 minutes and really strikes a final blow in what is an already incredible album. The song sounds as if it’s 10 years ahead of it’s time and would fit in well with everything in the late 90’s, when the industry mixed pop and rock with electronica. If this reference goes way over your head you only need to look as far as U2’s 1997 release POP to get it. Overall the album is a masterpiece, and can be listened to from cover to cover as well as track to track and still have a lasting impact on the listener. It is a Greek tragedy that this album went almost completely unnoticed by the masses, but it served to inspire what we would come to know as Alternative rock. True the album is not a cure all for a hangover, but listening to an amazing album and putting a spring in my step is a good start.

Image Provided by Last FM

It has been announced that Silversun Pickups first EP Pikul will be available in the UK on November 26th. The album will be released through UK record distributor Townsend Records. Pre-orders are being taken but it is unclear how many copies will be made available. Pikul was originally released in 2005 by Dangerbird Records, and is Silversun Pickups first official release.

Image courtesy of Travel DK

In my previous post I mentioned that Silverlake was the Meca of Indie music. As of right now there is no question about that. The amount of bands coming out of Silverlake and the general vibe of the city would confirm that without a shadow of a doubt. In my opinion I think there are several cities that contribute to the Indie scene. One city in particular is Seattle, home of grunge, Starbucks, Microsoft, and the almighty SubPop. I was fortunate enough to grow up about 5 minutes from downtown, in the University district of Seattle. The city itself is a plethora of different scenes and cultures, and if your not a native, you simply write the city off as being too rainy and trying to manage in a post grunge music scene.

This is quite the contrary to what the stereotype would have everyone believe. Seattle is a city full of music, and would arguably be called the birthplace of Indie Pop. When walking the streets of Seattle it’s easy to find someone who would seem offbeat and doesn’t quiet mesh with the surrounding city. When you take a step back you realize that is what the city is made of, there is a wide variety of people who don’t really fall into one category, but somehow find balance and harmony with everyone around them. The city is Home to Death Cab For Cutie, Modest Mouse, The Postal Service, Gatsbys American Dream, and The Blood Brothers, just to name a few. My own personal experiences have taken me to the famous Showbox, all the way to The Basement, a tiny little club no bigger, then well, a basement. From these experiences I have heard and met some amazing bands that make up Seattle’s Indie scene.

The Postal Service may be the most well known Indie Pop bands, but certainly not the only ones. If you pick up The Stranger you will find a local band calendar full of Indie Pop bands, just waiting to tickle your senses with Pop ditties that will make you tap your toes and want to go out and buy a Breeders album. One band that made my Indie pop meter go haywire was a band called Shake Some Action! The band came out of the ashes of The Jeunes, and consists of James Hall, David Bos, Garry Miller, and Chris Campbell. There name comes from a Flamin Groovies album released in the late 70’s and the sound is not to far off. There music is not a deep dive into introspective listening, but rather a happy bit of Indie Pop that is easy to grove to. There live show is exciting as well as a good time for anyone who attends.

One band that is worth of a mention is Dolour the brain child of Shane Tutmarc. Dolour first came to the surface in 97 as a full group of guys and not one man. Eventually the others disbanded and the name and sound was left on the shoulders of Tutmarc. The result was a pop sound that turned Seattle on it’s ear, and had the entire world trying to copy it. It should come as no surprise that the city has facilitated some of the greatest artists of our generation, and encourages anyone who goes there to think outside the box. The artists from Seattle know that they are not from L.A., and the scene in the Northwest is far removed from everything else that is going on in the world. True it’s not sunny like California, or as trendy as the East coast, but it has it’s own flavor and take on the world. And the local Indie scene knows that.

There is no denying that Seattle does not turn their back on the Indie scene. With every year a new group of kids are added to the fray, and none are taken out of the mix. It could be said that Seattle is building up to explode again, and make Indie Pop our generations Grunge. The city and the scene need no validation from the rest of the country. They are happy with what they are doing, and rather then follow the trend, would like to create one on there own. We can thank Nirvana for opening up the doors to Seattle, but being a one trick pony is not the city’s bag, or will it be its claim to fame. One thing that is for sure is that be it Indie Pop or not, the scene and music will stand the test of time, and make the next generation in Seattle and the rest of the world stand back and pay there respects to a scene that paved the way.

MTV has just announced that Silversun Pickups are this week’s choice for “Artist of the Week” on MTV. The artist of the week spots include short videos spots during the ending credits for shows as well as short music video clips in between commercial spots. The 17 short video spots that are currently running are the band at a special Silversun sleepover. The videos contain the band having a “don’t fall asleep first competition”, as well as building a cookie shrine for Jared Leto. The ads have everything you would expect at a sleepover which includes a round of light as a feather still as a board with Nikki Monninger, TPing Carson Dailys house, and even pulling out the Ouija board. The spots would not be complete without a sing along and a poolside performance by the band. The ads will run for the rest of the week and will end on Saturday November 10th.

This is another milestone for SSPU, and MTV2, the sister channel of MTV, has just added “Well Thought Out Twinkles” to there regular rotation. The band will be heading over seas with the Kaiser Chiefs for a short European tour and then heading back to the states to finish out the year. You can check out the videos at MTV and preview the Lumber Vs. Slumber video here.

Our neighbors across the pond have contributed allot to every wave of music that has come to America, in some respects even creating some in the process. This same idea applies to bands and there early counterparts. One of several bands that is taking a page from there earlier contemporaries is The Young Knives. They are a band of Three quirky English gents who hail from Ashby-de-la-Zouch North West Leicestershire, say that 3 times fast. There music is a blend of post-punk revival and Indie rock. The band formed in early 1998 with brothers Thomas “The House of Lords” and Henry Dartnall, and friend Oliver Askew. The band originally started out playing, as they quoted, bad funk and Ned’s Atomic Dustbin covers. Originally the band was formed under the name “Simple Pastoral Existence”, but soon there after moved to Oxford and changed there name to “Pony Club”.

After just a few months, the band changed their name once more to it’s current name The Young Knives. In October of 2002 the band released its first EP, The Young Knives Are Dead. Though the album did not chart, it created a buzz around England, and effectively started back up the Indie Pop movement which was dormant for a number of years. In that next year the band released a four song “mini-album” called Rollerskater through local Indie label Shifty Disco Records. On the heals of the Rollerskater EP the band toured in support of the album as well as opened for many bands touring through England including Hot Hot Heat and fellow country man The Futureheads. In mid 2005 the band moved too Transgressive records, and released the very successful Junky Music Make My Heart Beat Faster EP. Not much touring was done for the album due to the fact that the band was writing and preparing material for there first full length album.

Voice of Animals and Man, was released in August, and was the first time the band started to see international recognition. The second track off the album, “The Decision” was there first American single and even spawned a music video, which received heavy rotation on MTV2 and British and Euro MTV. Two months later the band released their second single “Here Comes the Rumour Mill”, which was their first charting single, and peeked at #36 on the UK’s top 100. This was followed by a UK and American tour. The band ran into a mishap when trying to get into the country and had to delay there America tour by almost a month. When they were granted a vacation visa, they played a hand full of dates in California and grabbed a spot on the 2006 South By South West Music Festival in Texas. After there return to the UK the band played, what they hailed, as there “biggest gig ever” at the famed London Astoria.

At the beginning of 2007 the band was nominated for a Mercury Music Prize and announced that they were going back into the studio to record their second album. The band headed to Scotland to record, and again chose Andy Gill to produce there album. The album as of yet is un-named, but the band has stated that the single would be called “Terra Firma” On October 29th the single was released and debuted at #43 on the UK’s top 100. The Album is scheduled to be released on March 3rd 2008, and is the second Full Length Album from the band. There is no word if there will be an American tour in support of the Album, but I wouldn’t put it past the trio in tweed.

It was Saturday morning and I was sitting at home listening to music, in what I like to call the “thinking couch”. It was a windy afternoon, and as usual I had my computer set to random play. For some odd reason the set lease was jumping between The Strokes Room on Fire and The Cure. I’m not sure why this was happening, but I took it for what it was, and wasn’t in a rush to change it any time soon. After 30 or so minutes the music cut out and there was a piano break. I though maybe I had accidentally added some of my classical pieces to my play list. Then a voice kicked in that made me do a double take at my computer. It was a song that I last sampled back in September of last year. It was Castledoor, and the song was “Growing us a Garden”.

A rush of excitement hit me. I realized that when I first got my hands on Follow The Dove I didn’t put it down for almost a month, and it was part of my nightly mix as well. But after the magic of the album faded, I moved on and archived it in my hard drive. I figured I would give it another spin at a later date. But I didn’t think it would be a year before I listened to it again. I hopped to my computer and played Follow The Dove from front to back about 3 times. This time around I really was stopped dead in my tracks about how good the album really was. I felt I had missed out on an amazing piece of music for a year, and began to question why I had originally shelved it.

The EP is a nice little romp through Indie Pop gold, and takes a bit of a short cut through something that can be best described as a track from a Tim Burton movie. “Burn the Maps” reminded me of walking through the park at night. You feel reassured but scared at the same time. “The Birds And The Fleas” is a subtle track that winds through vocal harmonies and almost touches the realm of the Beatles Circa The White Album. It’s rare that I run into an EP that I can listen from front to back, but Follow The Dove accomplishes this with great leaps and bounds. Your without a doubt left wanting more after you listen to this album. The only downside being that it’s not a full release, and getting your hands on a copy is next to impossible. After checking the bands Myspace, I found out that it is pack in print and available to buy through there Myspace page, and iTunes.