Silversun Pickups Shift Directions on "Better Nature"

Silversun Pickups

So you know my blog is getting old, because this is the third review I have done for Silversun Pickups, one of my favorite bands.  "Better Nature" is the band's fourth studio album, and I have been anticipating its release for quite a while.

A couple of weeks before its release, they previewed the album by releasing a music video for the first single, "Nightlight".  Instantly, I was in love.  Not only was the band at the top of the game, but the video was beautiful and cinematic, filled with stark images and spoken word.  I was in a frenzy of anticipation.

Then the album came out, and I was a little taken aback.  The Pickups had changed their sound considerably.  It was less guitar-driven and more electronic.  Don't get me wrong - Joe Lester's keyboards, maybe under-appreciated, are a vital part of the band's sound, adding an ethereal texture that sets their music apart. I should have anticipated the change given 2014's single, "Cannibal", which was filled with electronic whistles.  They seem to be burying their shoegaze roots, and, whereas 2012's "Neck of the Woods" is arguably one of their most shoegaze records, "Better Nature" is probably one of their least.  What you have left is an undeniably pop album.

And that's not altogether a bad thing.  If this is a pop album, it's a beautifully crafted, well-written pop album.  If half of the pop music today was as interesting as this, the radio would not be the dismal wasteland it is today.

The strength of this album is the stream-of-consciousness way the songs flow into the next.  The opening track, "Cradle (Better Nature)", scintillates and shimmers into the next track, "Connection", which softly ebbs into "Pins and Needles".  It makes for a great concept album.  I suppose it is a good sign that they are growing as a band and musicians, taking their sound to the next level.  Brian Aubert's smooth vocals and outstanding guitar work are still there, just understated and diminished in favor of a more complete sound.  "Nightlife" is without a doubt the most "Pickups" of songs, and my personal favorite is "Circadian Rhythm (Last Dance)".  Nikki Monninger takes lead vocals on this track.  Her voice is a contrast to Aubert's powerful voice, having an almost fragile quality that really completes the song.  It is interesting to note that my favorite Pickups song of all time is also sung by Nikki - "Ribbons & Detours".

Of of the other songs, my notable favorites are additionally "Connection" and "Latchkey Kids".

After several listens, I have to say that this is a good album, as long as I don't compare it to other releases.  It is, after all, Silversun Pickups, and that makes it just about better than anything else on the planet.