SOUND BITES

  It's not easy being a "replacement band". Let me explain; from time to time, as an artist evolves outside of the box that the masses create for them and follows their muse in a direction that's deemed too far away from their assumed place on the musical spectrum, those fickle minded fans sometimes single out another artist and mentally replaces the former with the latter. In order for this to happen, the newer artist needs to be creating music that's somewhat close in tone or feeling to the music that made the former famous; there aren't a ton of examples of this, but the most notable is probably Muse. Playing sinewy rock that often juxtaposed quiet verses with loud, bombastic choruses at the same time Radiohead was off blowing up whatever box people would dare put them in, Muse became the replacement band for Radiohead for some based solely on the vibes people got from their first few albums. I could have easily brought up the concept of the replacement ban...

As our look back on the year that was catches up to the present (and peeks ever so slightly into the future), it becomes clear that the vast majority of rock artists preferred to avoid the last two months of the year; though it's typically the stronghold time of year for pop superstar stocking stuffers, I still find it just a bit odd to see that two month gap emerge after mid-October with no nominated songs. In fact, that's almost as odd as two established bands deciding to release their albums one week before Christmas. Regardless, our last batch of nominees runs the gamut: here we find new artists to look out for, home grown Maritime talent hitting its stride, and no less than three bands with multiple Album of the Year nominations. Song of the Year nominees #41-50 are:

Since rising through the indie ranks close to a decade ago with their debut Carnavas (and, more to the point, its epic and intense hit Lazy Eye ), Silversun Pickups have made it a point to strafe away from comparisons to a certain '90s alt-rock band that also carries the initials S.P. On their last album with Dangerbird Records, the dark and layered Neck of the Woods in 2012, they brought new wave influences on board. While guitars still roared and songs still had a flair for the intense, keyboards were starting to take on a larger role. It seemed that SSPU wanted nothing more than to shake those pesky comparisons aside and be recognized as their own band. Now that they've started their own label, it's not all that surprising that fourth album Better Nature dives deeper into that electronic sea of sound; put plainly, if you thought Neck of the Woods was a departure from their rock roots, you haven't learned the true meaning of the word departure. Guitars still have ...

So, Silversun Pickups announced a "singles collection" today. Now, I'm no expert on "singles" or "hits" compilations; even so, I've got to say this announcement threw me for a loop for a couple of reasons. For starters, isn't it a bit early for a band like Silversun Pickups to be given the "greatest hits" treatment? I know, I know, it's a "singles collection". But, come on; it looks like a greatest hits album, it smells like a greatest hits album, so on so forth. More importantly, though, are these really necessary entities in 2014? I mean, who is this album for? Casual fans who've already downloaded the singles they like or established fans who are expected to shill out $15 for one new song?

SILVERSUN PICKUPS Mean Spirits From: Neck Of The Woods Released: May 8 When a band is shovelled enough cynicism, they're bound to react. After years of Smashing Pumpkins comparisons via pissy journalists or over-analyzing listeners, Silversun Pickups crawled out of that unwanted shadow with third album Neck Of The Woods . Incorporating gothic electronics into their sound (think less Smashing Pumpkins' Adore and more New Order) slowed the Pumpkins comparisons (except for those comparing this record to Adore ), but it also made for a more startling listen, with less payoff. A glaring exception is Mean Spirits , a driving monster-rocker that is as bold with its fuzzed-out base layer as it is with its acoustic tinged frosting. It's an ice cold beer floating in a lake of muddy water.

So Silversun Pickups' third album, Neck of the Woods , is about six weeks away.  Today, we got our first taste of what's in store as they've posted up first single Bloody Mary on their official website alongside various album pre-order options (not the least intriguing of which is the $80 vinyl/CD/book/autographed photo package). Jumping the gun on that beautiful pre-order package would be all well and good, especially if the first single was as awesome as the previous two were.  Of course I'm talking about Lazy Eye (the song that set the ball rolling) and Panic Switch (which propelled them into the realm of hitmakers). Upon first impression of the track, I'm not sure if the haters slagging SSPU as Smashing Pumpkins ripoff artists has taken its toll, or if the band decided to throw a bigass curveball this time around.  Whatever the case, even though I wanted nothing more than to crank it up and fall in love, Bloody Mary leaves a little to be desired.  Whe...