WARNING: Silversun May Cause Sleepiness In The Sunshine

Good Tuesday to you, readers! It’s nearly 11 pm, and I should really be getting ready for bed! Alas, a working college student’s day never truly “ends”. Rather, it is bombarded with random naps at awkward intervals, an over consumption of caffeine products, and the trademark bleary -eyed stare.

It is for this reason that I have an infatuation with summer. Stress-free, sunny, beach-going summer! I spend most of my summer vacation gallivanting in the sunlight. Ironically, for years I’ve been known as “the Italian girl that doesn’t know how to tan.” Ever since I entered high school my skin became virtually resistant to sunshine! I could sit in the sun for hours on end and be lucky to have acquired barely a twinge of pink on my cheeks. Initially, the genetic talent meant less worrying on my part when romping outdoors. As I got older, it became tiresome being the whitest girl on the beach.

It is because of this disobedience of my skin tone that I began to make tanning a competitive sport. I’ll show those tawny-skinned beach bunnies! I told myself, lying outside day after day in search of the perfect tan. There was a day in particular, when the peak temperature for the day was somewhere close to 100 degrees Fahrenheit, that I spread out on my deck and soaked in the sunshine.

Perhaps not surprisingly, my tanning sessions are always accompanied by music. I find it difficult sitting still for long periods of time doing virtually nothing, so music was able to distract me from paying attention  to the seconds that ticked on by. My favorite band that summer – no, of all time! – was Silversun Pickups, a quirky band hailing from Los Angeles, California. I put on their entire discography and hummed gently to the tune.

In retrospect, perhaps I should have gone for a song by F.U.N., or the Ramones, or any upbeat band that wouldn't put me to sleep! There was one song in particular that knocked me clear out on that sunshiny day – “Three Seed.” This song makes your eyelids heavy from the first bass line. True to many of the songs on their album Carnavas, Three Seed maintains a steady beat throughout the entirety of the song. Unlike the rest of the album, though, Three Seed remains relatively stable in volume, only allowing for a short, yet intricate, guitar solo towards the end. Even the light use of synthesizers doesn't make the song any less relaxing. Personally, I find the combination of the heavy bass lines, synthesizer effects, and airy guitar riffs a perfect lullaby.  

Perhaps the only thing more alluring than the instrumental portion of the song is Brian Aubert’s soft, raspy voice. Compared often to Billy Corgan of Smashing Pumpkins and Bert McCracken of The Used (and we all know how Corgan would feel about that comparison, or any comparison for that matter…) Aubert has an uncanny ability to make his voice impossibly soft at the drop of a hat. His voice has always been particularly soothing to me.

 I’ve found that the lyrics suggest a lament concerning regret; however, no one ever really knows what Silversun Pickups is thinking when they write these transient tunes. Evidently, the singer is removing a bullet from his head as he contemplates pictures of the past, alcoholism, and the fact that “the sums don’t add up at all.” As is tradition with all Silversun Pickups songs, the imagery never quite creates a fully comprehensive picture, but you can damn well feel everything Aubert wants you to feel as a listener. The lyrics in this song flow effortlessly, filled with alliteration such as this line:

There’s the line that is leading clearly feeding all the things I don’t believe in but I’ll step in once again
Cut the line to get closer to the source of all the things I’ll never belong to; step it up and sign right in again.

Do I know what he’s trying to tell me? Not really. But can I feel the somber emotions of regret and confusion that emanate from the guitarist’s voice? You bet I can!

Silversun Pickups has a way of making you fall into your own mind, getting wrapped up in the music, in the lyrics, creating images of oceans and summer homes and addition signs and… zzz…

            You guessed it, readers! That fateful day, this little turnip fell asleep while tanning in the sunshine… and became a fried vegetable. I’ve made a point to set an alarm when tanning outside and listening to Silversun Pickups simultaneously after learning that extremely painful lesson. I’ve considered writing to Silversun’s record company so they may put a WARNING: MAY CAUSE NARCOLEPSY sign on each album. For some funny reason, I feel like I may not be the first one to suggest it.

             Wow, all this writing about Three Seed is making me sleepy! I think I’m going to head to… head to… zzz….

(For the record, Turnip was not left in direct sunlight at the conclusion of this post.)