“Panic Switch” by Silversun Pickups, Thursday, April 15, 2021
Shoegaze is a sub-genre of rock music that employs heavy distorted guitars to create what is called a "wall of sound." Shoegaze came out of psychedelic rock and often creates a hypnotic effect. Not every group that uses "the wall of sound" is necessarily a shoegazer act, but some bands that have famously used this effect are Oasis, The Verve, and the Smashing Pumpkins. The etymology of "shoegazing" is said to be a description of the guitarists of these bands because they mostly stared at their shoes. While music critics don't often place Silversun Pickups in the subgenre of Shoegaze, what else would you classify their 2009 hypnotic hit "Panic Switch"?
IT'S NEVER WORTH MY TIME. Silversun Pickups topped the Alternative Rock chart with this song. Released in 2009, their sophomore album Swoon challenged my 2001 Corolla's stereo in all the right ways between home and school. The band drew controversy when they were nominated for a Grammy for Best New Artist, despite the fact that their first album Carnavas had garnered a lot of attention. Swoon, however, was their breakout album. Swoon was released on the edge of a transition in the music industry. It was a time when the deeper register voices and post-grunge rock was on a decline and Alternative was implementing new ideas about style. Silversun Pickups' following records dropped the "wall of sound" for poppier, electronic elements. But songs like "Panic Switch" and "The Royal We" are fun reminder of the kinds of aggressive rock that used to top the charts.
WHEN YOU SEE YOURSELF IN A CROWDED ROOM. Sometimes choosing my song of the day takes a long process of listening to lots of songs, while other times the song chooses itself. I woke up before my alarm after having a dream in which I was listening to this song. When I went to bed, this song wasn't on my mind, and I haven't listened to it for awhile. What's even stranger is this morning I saw that ten years ago yesterday (but still the 14th in America), Swoon had been released. What a clandestine pick for today! "Panic Switch" is a song about sleeplessness and anxiety. The up-tempo rhythm and crunching bass line helps to give a simulation of a panic attack. The lyrics ask what do you do when you enter the crowded room? How do you defuse the anxiety? Where's the panic switch? How do I get out of this one? This reminds me of last Wednesday when I was so flustered that I couldn't make it to class on time. It's always the worry that you won't find the panic switch in time. What then?
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