Silversun Pickups
Pikul EP
Available: July 26, 2005
Label: Dangerbird Records
Rating: 4/5

Silversun Pickups are part of The Ship Collective in LA (an incestuous artist group much like Saddle Creek in Omaha where everyone plays on each other’s albums and roles are blurred). “Pikul” is their debut EP, and it’s pronounced pie-kull, although pickle is funnier. Billed as L.A.’s best kept secret.

This six song EP kicks off with the best track of the bunch, “Kissing Families.” This song absolutely rocks because Brian Aubert actually sings with pained emotion (think Modest Mouse/Lonesome Crowded West) and bassist-singer Nikki Monninger rounds out the second part as a scorching riffed-Candleboxesque solos layer the verses. With use of strings, acoustic guitar and heavy distortion, this song makes me believe Silversun Pickups really could be L.A.’s best kept secret. A little more work on solos couldn’t hurt but a fantastic initial offering from the group.

It’s like someone else is singing on “Comeback Kid” and the rest of the tracks. When Aubert yells, he’s actually a freaking great singer, but he decided to chill out for the remaining five songs. “Booksmart Devil” is a throwaway track with a catchy hook, but the group gave up after crafting it.

“The Fuzz” features exactly the same drum track from drummer Christopher Guanlao as on “Booksmart Devil,” - are you kidding me? You could play the songs at the same time and time out the symbols perfectly. “Creation Lake” is a pretty ballad that needs even a speck of emotion to make it shine, but it just wasn’t there. “All the Go Inbetweens” is a good song clocking in at almost 8 minutes, but cutting it down to 5 and to just one singer would’ve made it pretty good. Silversun Pickups are off to a get start, but if they’re going to break out of the incestuous Ship Collective and make it on their own, I’d stick with a “Kissing Families” approach.