Silversun Pickups
Remixes
Dangerbird Records
By Mike Randall
Since the release of their excellent full-length debut Carnavas, Silversun Pickups has been labeled a throwback to the days when bands like Smashing Pumpkins ruled the charts. A fair comparison, sure, but there are a number of other oft-ignored elements at work in their music, specifically tinges of Joy Division’s groove and the melodic context of My Bloody Valentine. A Remix EP seems unnecessary to convey this, especially one consisting solely of four versions of “Lazy Eye” and two attempts at “Little Lover’s So Polite.” By choosing two of their least “grunge” songs off Carnavas, Remixes seems like an attempt to put some distance between the band and the alt tag that follows them around. Letting outsiders fix what didn’t need fixing doesn’t seem reason enough for such a record, so I’m guessing these tracks are intended to highlight the more electronic elements of these songs to hear what they’d sound like if Silversun weren’t such a cohesive unit.
“Lazy Eye,” the track that landed the band on MTV for a short while during the summer of 2007, is arguably the tightest alt-rock song since The Breeders’ “Cannonball.” There really isn’t much that could be done to make it any better than the original, but KCRW DJ Jason Bentley puts forth the best effort. He emphasizes the bottom end, which is the song’s strength, and keeps the guitar lines mostly intact through an electronic effect that doesn’t sound at all processed. The Postal Service’s Jimmy Tamborello doesn’t fare quite as well; the synth-groove of his “Accordion Mix” cheapens the song a tad, but the aforementioned instrument popularized by “Weird Al” Yankovic does add an interesting atmospheric element. He offers a second, much more effective contribution, “Pulses Mix,” that slows up the tempo to an almost waltz-like sway with some throbbing trance-y elements and makes for the record’s trippiest rendition. Beck keyboardist Brian LeBarton does the least with what he’s given, simply regurgitating a monotonous electronic chime for the duration of the song, neither adding nor subtracting from the original.
The original version of “Little Lover’s So Polite” probably best represents the visceral post-punk qualities of Joy Division in Silversun’s sound, so it should come as no surprise that it remixes stronger than “Lazy Eye.” On “Greyarea Mix,” the music is stripped down to its dance foundation with a mighty house thump, while the vocal reverb above the instrumental interludes reinvents the track in a positive way. The other version, a mix by labelmate One AM Radio, makes the track darker than ever through foreboding bass and keys, making Silversun seem unnerving.
While Remixes seems better served as a giveaway through the band’s Web site as opposed to an iTunes-only release, it’s an interesting sidestep into a field usually reserved for DJs, rappers and jambands. Few rock bands have the depth in their sound to add an electronic element and faux beats without dulling the edges. Then again, Silversun Pickups are out to prove they’re not just another rock band.
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