After listening to their latest album on repeat for days, last week I got a chance to chat with L.A. indie-rock sensation Silversun Pickups’ front man Brian Aubert about the band’s newest album Neck of the Woods, their Australia tour, and future plans.
Silversun Pickups will be playing at the Barrymore Theatre this Thursday night.
Silversun Pickups just came back from a tour; how was it? Which countries did you play? Any memories worth telling?
“So far we have been touring in the States, Canada, and Australia. Stories-wise there has been a lot. The biggest change for us was having a new member in the band. Since our bassist Nikki (Monninger) is pregnant with twins, she had to stay home in L.A. and having our friend Sarah (Negahdari) fill-in for Nikki has been an eye-opening experience. She really sees things in a different and fresher way. We didn’t realize that seeing the band from someone else’s eyes would be so great.
“Having Sarah in the band is incredible for us. As a band we have known each other for a long time and we play together all the time, so it was a nice opportunity to play with someone else. She has a different outlook on the band and our songs.
“This is the first time Nikki has not been involved with the band and I bet she is having a hard time with that, but she should take her time. Whenever she is ready, she will be back.”
I found Neck of the Woods mellower and more melody oriented compared to Carnavas and Swoon. Is that a shift in the band’s genre or was it a one-time experiment for this album?
“I think as a band we are always moving in different direction. With us, there is always a specific sound when four of us get together; it is just what happens. There is always a certain aspect of our music that will be there. But we also enjoy trying new things and pushing music in a different direction (not all over the place). How I think with previous albums is that they exist and I think if that’s what you want you can always have them. Every record is a different experience and has a unique feel to it. If people are invested in you they will follow you no matter what. We did plan to be more melodic for this album and I think it worked out quiet nicely.”
Jacknife Lee produced Neck of the Woods. Why did you make the change? How was working with such a big name — what are his influences on the album?
(Laughs) “We really did not know he was that big of a name. He was a friend of a friend. We don’t pay attention to the world! He was this nice Irish guy. The music we were making was coming differently and it was different than the music we were making before, and even our old producer knew that it was time for us to do new things with a new producer.
“Lee’s style lined up with how we wanted to do things, which is strange and scary. When we started talking, then we knew about REM and U2 and all that. He quickly realized that we didn’t chase the radio or anything. All the stuff that’s happening just happens. We were just trying to make solid record and he was the guy to do it.
“He was excited to work with us and he loved what we did. He has such wide humongous range of musical knowledge and influences, and I think he saw an opportunity just to go wild! So we did. Usually bands want a commercial hit, but we didn’t. The whole experience was intense and crazy.”
Your album and EP artworks are outstanding and they reflect your music very well. Who do you work with and do you usually come up with the ideas?
“We work really closely with artists. Darren Waterston did the artwork for Swoon. His paintings were all around the studio so it is safe to say the artwork influenced the album. People started to see a pattern with the artwork and our music and that’s what you shouldn’t do. Nikki was close friends with Todd Hido; he does amazing photography of urban/suburban houses. We saw this photograph of a house and everyone had a different reaction to it. Some thought it was cozy, some thought it was scary. We named it ‘Heaven or Hell.’ It was great that people had different views on it, so we decided to use it as the cover art for Neck of the Woods.”
Even though it was released in 2006, I am still stuck on “Lazy Eye.” What makes that song so timeless?
(Laughs) “I don’t know! People tend to get sick of certain songs; we are very proud of that ‘Lazy Eye’ is not one of them. We played live for years before we recorded, and that song was our adopted theme song in L.A. When it got big, we were really moved that it was the same song. Everyone had a piece in that song; a lot of friends were a part of it. As far as why it is timeless, I have no idea. I had to go through a massive battle with my producer for that song. He wanted me to change it but I said ‘No, you can’t do that.’ My favorite thing about ‘Lazy Eye’ is that, before it got popular, if you would had taken that song to a songwriting class, it would have failed because there is no verse, no catchy chords… I think everybody wants to hear that something different and people are afraid to give it to them.”
What are your upcoming projects now that the new album is out?
“I think we are still on this thing (Neck of the Woods) for a while. Just touring a lot and soaking it in.”
Silversun Pickups have been together for ten years now as a band. How have your experiences changed in this period? What has changed and what has stayed the same?
“We had known each other for a while when we got in this together. There is no way to have an ego. Things have definitely gotten more intense over the years and I think we have gotten better at keeping one hand at home and one hand on the road and coping with life at home, the life that matters. We made mistakes, we learned quickly how to adapt to changes. One thing that hasn’t changed is we really enjoy playing music and we get off of it. If that changed, I don’t know what would happen.”