Lazy Eye – Silversun Pickups

This mellow little indie noodle pips its merry way into my periphery hearing pretty darned regularly. Considering I’ve never typed the words Silversun Pickups into any of my devices until writing this post today it’s quite surprising just how many times Lazy Eye has made it’s way forward through the tangled wires to be the next one chosen when YouTube, Pandora or whatever is doing it’s thing. The algorithms are strong with this one.

Sunday mornings pottering about in the kitchen with music on in the background I’ve come to love that little bendy note over a barely awake bass line. Smashing Pumpkins had not exactly abandoned their post at the dawn of the second decade of the 20th century (long way of saying ten years ago) but Siamese Dream style grunge tinged dream pop was not what they seemed to be serving. While Corgan was making solo material in the Pumpkins name, releasing one song at a time via the internet and tarnishing the bands name at every opportunity the indie kids needed new chill out tracks. As ever The Hard Times have beaten me to the punch.

Enter Brian, Nikki, Chris and Joe. These Jack Be Littles had a sound so close to Infinite Sadness that they could do quite well for fans of that sort of thing while nobody else was using it. They had some success too. This song featured in movies, video games (remember those play along rock song video games? They were huge in this era) and did some billboard top ten action in the US. In the UK they visited supporting Foo Fighters and Kaiser Chiefs. So following Kaiser Week with one of their support bands seems a fitting time.

A band I’ve never chosen to listen to perhaps unfairly pinned as copyists and only here because of a support gig? Do I even like this band? Well on closer listening, yes I do. I’m hearing a bit of MBV and early Jimmy Eat World in their sound. Perhaps two decades of indifference towards them on my part has been an oversight. Home town heroes in Salt Lake along side Rilo Kiley, this band have an impressive arsenal of War On Drugs-y grown up indie rock.

When Brian Aubert and Nikki Monninger share vocal duties on the four on the floor AOR like Circadian Rhythms (Last Dance) or Little Lovers So Polite you can sense a bit of Fleetwood Mac vibe. Kissing Families and Panic Switch do the emo before MCR thing quite nicely. When Brian wants to he’s got quite the rock roar. He uses it sparingly most of the time. They are no strangers to distortion soaking a song though to drive it into the red.

Lazy Eye was a cross media hit with a video that looked like an episode of The OC or some other teen drama. It’s mellow restraint and parental approved rock shapes belie what is quite the post grunge fuzz box. After lurking for years it’s won me over. Come on in little song. Have a day on SteveForTheDeaf.

So I’m popping a little playlist below the line. Five tunes I know and really like from a band I didn’t really know until I finally started paying them attention this morning. You probably all did know them though (reading about them they’ve been pretty successful for over a decade) let me know if you’ve seen them live or got some of their music at home.

In a low key way, a pretty cool band.

The big hit, the devices in my home were determined I’d like it eventually

I vaguely recall this one from a decade or so past too. much more my bag. Careful though. Flashing Images aplenty

A more recent submission, this is from 2015

If I’d have heard this one first I’d have been a fan right off the bat. Very Jimmy Eat World

From the same album as Lazy Eye. Careful though, video directed by Joaquin Phoenix

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