Silversun Pickups - Better Nature

Silversun Pickups
Better Nature
2015

"Lazy Eye" the biggest hit of the Silversun Pickups career came out in 2005, and in all honesty most of what has come out since then has been mediocre at best. At times they sound overblown and have a self importance to their music that really is not warranted. U2 suffer from the same issue but on a much much larger scale, and at times it means there is zero levity to their music. It's called playing music because it is supposed to be enjoyable, not just spectacle. The Silversun Pickups do take a break from this type of music on tracks like "The Wild Kind" and have that old sense of wonder that their first albums did, but those moments are now totally fleeting not all that surprising. There is definitely a stronger human connection on this record than most of their music and it comes through as somehow more personal, but that feeling is just barely on the surface and their strong commitment to almost perfect rhythm somewhat diminishes that vibe.

This album also sees the band take a break from their all out rockness of previous albums and throw their hat into the electropop game. The change is subtle but noticeable enough. This move, probably an attempt to stay relevant in a changing indie scene, works at times and feels forced in others. There is just enough of electropop and rock on songs like "Circadian Rhythm (Last Dance)" to show that the band is willing to bring their music forward to the vanguard, but most likely not because that is where their writing is taking them. For a band who's best days are probably behind them Better Nature is a decent release and a chance for a reinvention, however slight it may be. Take a listen and see if you think the Silversun Pickups are back, or jut hanging on.

5 out of 10