Silversun Pickups

Carnavas

[5/5] Yes, the Silversun Pickups sound like the Smashing Pumpkins. They even have a female bass player to make the comparison that much easier. Saying this is nothing new. But what is new for the L.A. band-after launching their fantastic first full-length following 2005’s introductory EP, Pikul-is that they’ve really captured the density of their ’90s revivalist fuzz-rocking live shows to CD. Always anchored with a friendly hook and sometimes even tender harmonies, Carnavas‘ dark/light tunes explode into a controlled chaos of distortion and white noise. “Controlled” is the operative word here, though. So, no matter how much guitarist/singer Brian Aubert & Co. tinker with My Bloody Valentine-esque madness, the jams never venture into the annoyingly drawn-out realm. And that just makes Carnavas that much more rockin’. (DANGERBIRD) JR Griffin