AMG Review of Swoon

Stephen Thomas Erlewine
All Music Guide

Silversun Pickups hold Smashing Pumpkins as close to their heart as, say, Mudhoney hold the Stooges -- perhaps even more, as Silversun Pickups (whose very initials are the same as the Pumpkins) act as though nothing happened between Siamese Dream in 1993 and Swoon in 2009. Try as they may, the bandmembers cannot deny the passage of time, or their geography, for Silversun Pickups are creatures of their time and place, just as their idols were. At their core, the Pumpkins were Midwestern misfits, something that was evident in their very appearance and sound. In contrast, Silversun Pickups shimmer sweetly on the surface, a sound suited for Los Angeles. Silversun Pickups avoid unpleasantness on Swoon, wallowing in washes of sound derived equally from guitars and whispered vocals and glimmering in the sunlight. It's pleasant enough, particularly when the breathy vocals fade away to leave behind cascades of guitars, but still remains an approximation of Smashing Pumpkins at their peak.