Silversun Pickups – “Skin Graph”

On the heels of 2009’s Swoon, Silversun Pickups’ trajectory over the course of the ensuing decade will depend on who you ask.  There’s a lot of staunch supporters of the band’s first two albums who feel that everything they’ve done since has been varying grades of disappointing.  For me, I think the band continued its ascension and peaked with 2012’s Neck of the Woods, an album that almost feels like being in a haunted house.  The themes are darker, the lyrics are creepier, and there’s even song titles like “Bloody Mary.”  The band really pursued its electronic ambitions here, without sacrificing too much of the raw grit that was noticeably absent on later albums like Better Nature.  For me, this is the quintessential Silversun Pickups release – and from this record, “Skin Graph” stands out like no other track.  It’s epic and sprawling, taking nearly half of its six minute run time to finally erupt into its long-anticipated chorus, one that is interrupted by guitar/drum interchanges that feel like a series of mini-breakdowns.  Afterwards, it drifts off into ambient territory, Aubert’s wispy vocals seemingly lost in the wind before it all comes charging back on the heels of tense, swelling electric riffs that re-open the floodgates to the song’s trademark melody.  Everything ratchets up a couple notches during the second lap, Aubert’s vocals sounding more urgent and frightened, the riffs louder, and the drumming more chaotic.  It’s the perfect opener for any SSPU album, but especially one like this, where the tones are darker and more mysterious across the board.  This is the band accessing its potential in unnerving darkness.

Read more from this decade at my homepage for Sowing’s Songs of the Decade.

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5JjmQsvmmmOBFnUjP7FLu4