Swoon (Silversun Pickups album)
Encyclopedia
Swoon is the second full-length studio album
by Los Angeles alternative rock
band Silversun Pickups
, released through Dangerbird Records
on 14 April 2009. The name of the album comes from a line in the outro of the first track "There's No Secrets This Year."
. Recording was completed between July 2008 and February 2009. During the recording process the band laid down as many as 17 songs which were eventually cut down to 10 for the album. On February 17, the band posted a list of the songs expected to be on Swoon on their MySpace blog.
The album was released on April 15, 2009. The first single released was "Panic Switch
". On April 6, the track "There's No Secrets This Year" was released as a single on various online music stores. The bonus track "Currency of Love" was released exclusively on iTunes with pre-orders in the U.S. and Canada, but was issued as a regular album track in other countries. The song Ne Plus Ultra was released as a B-Side on the single Panic Switch.
Two tracks off of the album, "Panic Switch" and "It's Nice to Know You Work Alone," have been released as downloadable content for Guitar Hero: World Tour as part of a track pack released on April 9. The song "Panic Switch" was also released along with "Sort Of" for the Rock Band
series on March 2, 2010. "There's No Secrets This Year" appears in racing game Dirt 2 and the rhythm game Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock
. "It's Nice to Know You Work Alone" is also featured in the baseball game MLB 10: The Show
.
, the album's packaging features the artwork of Darren Waterston, this time using his 2008 piece "St.Clair" as the basis for the cover art. The inside packing also features Waterston's pieces "Disembodiment" and "Reverberations." All paintings are from his collection entitled "The Flowering."
, based on 21 reviews. The album reached the seventh spot on the Billboard 200 with 43,000 copies sold in its first week, compared to "Carnavas", which peaked only at number 80 on the Billboard 200. Swoon has sold over 225,500 copies so far.
.
B-sides
Production
Art
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
by Los Angeles alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
band Silversun Pickups
Silversun Pickups
Silversun Pickups is an alternative rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 2002. The band comprises Brian Aubert, Nikki Monninger, Christopher Guanlao, and Joe Lester....
, released through Dangerbird Records
Dangerbird Records
Dangerbird Records is an independent record label located in Los Angeles, California. Founded by Jeff Castelaz and Peter Walker in 2004, the label is home to artists across the globe, as well as part of the burgeoning Silver Lake music scene. Their small roster of artists has enjoyed international...
on 14 April 2009. The name of the album comes from a line in the outro of the first track "There's No Secrets This Year."
Background information
After completing their Carnavas/Pikul tour in Christmas 2007, the band took a break until February of the next year. They began recording in their own studio named The Dark. The album was produced by Dave Cooley, who had worked with the band on their first album, CarnavasCarnavas
Carnavas is Silversun Pickups' first full-length studio album. It was released on July 26, 2006. The title is an homage to lead guitarist and vocalist Brian Aubert's Greek heritage. Some suppliers were also given copies of The Tripwire Session: Live In Chicago, a four track EP.The album generated...
. Recording was completed between July 2008 and February 2009. During the recording process the band laid down as many as 17 songs which were eventually cut down to 10 for the album. On February 17, the band posted a list of the songs expected to be on Swoon on their MySpace blog.
The album was released on April 15, 2009. The first single released was "Panic Switch
Panic Switch
"Panic Switch" is a song by the American indie rock band Silversun Pickups. It was the first single released from the group's second album, Swoon , on March 17, 2009. The song reached number one on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart, becoming their first number-one single on any Billboard chart...
". On April 6, the track "There's No Secrets This Year" was released as a single on various online music stores. The bonus track "Currency of Love" was released exclusively on iTunes with pre-orders in the U.S. and Canada, but was issued as a regular album track in other countries. The song Ne Plus Ultra was released as a B-Side on the single Panic Switch.
Two tracks off of the album, "Panic Switch" and "It's Nice to Know You Work Alone," have been released as downloadable content for Guitar Hero: World Tour as part of a track pack released on April 9. The song "Panic Switch" was also released along with "Sort Of" for the Rock Band
Rock Band
Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
series on March 2, 2010. "There's No Secrets This Year" appears in racing game Dirt 2 and the rhythm game Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock
Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock
Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock is a music video game and the sixth main entry in the Guitar Hero series for the PlayStation 3, Wii, and Xbox 360 consoles. The game was released September 24, 2010 in Europe, September 28, 2010 in North America and September 29, 2010 in Australia...
. "It's Nice to Know You Work Alone" is also featured in the baseball game MLB 10: The Show
MLB 10: The Show
MLB 10: The Show is a baseball simulation video game created by Sony Computer Entertainment's San Diego division. The MLB: The Show series of video games is the longest officially licensed baseball simulation game on the PlayStation. The game is made for Sony's own PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, and...
.
Artwork
As with CarnavasCarnavas
Carnavas is Silversun Pickups' first full-length studio album. It was released on July 26, 2006. The title is an homage to lead guitarist and vocalist Brian Aubert's Greek heritage. Some suppliers were also given copies of The Tripwire Session: Live In Chicago, a four track EP.The album generated...
, the album's packaging features the artwork of Darren Waterston, this time using his 2008 piece "St.Clair" as the basis for the cover art. The inside packing also features Waterston's pieces "Disembodiment" and "Reverberations." All paintings are from his collection entitled "The Flowering."
Reception
Like Carnavas, Swoon received generally positive reviews from critics. It accumulated a score of 64 out of 100 on MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, based on 21 reviews. The album reached the seventh spot on the Billboard 200 with 43,000 copies sold in its first week, compared to "Carnavas", which peaked only at number 80 on the Billboard 200. Swoon has sold over 225,500 copies so far.
Track listing
All songs written and composed by Silversun PickupsSilversun Pickups
Silversun Pickups is an alternative rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 2002. The band comprises Brian Aubert, Nikki Monninger, Christopher Guanlao, and Joe Lester....
.
B-sides
- Currency of Love - 5:30 (iTunes bonus song)
- Ne Plus Ultra - 5:14 (Limited Edition Promo code download)
- Seasick - (Seasick (single)Seasick (song)"Seasick" is a single by the American alternative rock band Silversun Pickups. The single was released in a 10" vinyl record format on November 25, 2011 for Record Store Day's "Back to Black Friday" event through Dangerbird Records. A digital version will be released on December 13, 2011...
) - Broken Bottles - ((Seasick (single))
- Ribbons and Detours - ((Seasick (single))
Album
| Chart (2009) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| ARIA Albums Chart | 14 |
| Top Canadian Albums | 23 |
| UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
107 |
| U.S. Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
7 |
| U.S. Top Independent Albums | 1 |
Singles
| Single | Chart (2009) | Peak position |
|---|---|---|
| "Panic Switch" | Canadian Hot 100 Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007... |
85 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
92 | |
| U.S. Billboard Alternative Songs | 1 | |
| U.S. Billboard Rock Songs Rock Songs Rock Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks the airplay of songs on alternative, mainstream rock and triple A radio stations. The first chart was published in the issue dated June 20, 2009. "Know Your Enemy" by Green Day was the first number-one song. The Rock Songs... |
4 | |
| "Substitution" | U.S. Billboard Alternative Songs | 17 |
| U.S. Billboard Rock Songs | 26 | |
| Single | Chart (2010) | Peak |
| "The Royal We" | U.S. Billboard Alternative Songs | 5 |
| U.S. Billboard Rock Songs | 22 | |
Personnel
Silversun Pickups- Brian Aubert – guitar, vocals
- Nikki Monninger – bass, vocals
- Chris Guanlao – drums
- Joe Lester – keys
Production
- Produced by Dave Cooley
- Engineered by Steven Rhodes, Kristen Riley and Jason Gossman
- Mixed by Tony Hoffer and Jason Gossman
- Mastered by Stephen Marcussen
- String arrangements by Will Canzoneri
Art
- Cover art is from Darren Waterston's "St. Clair"
- Photos by Steve Gullick
- Layout by Sara Cumings