It's been a minute or three since we've heard from L.A.'s Silversun Pickups. In 2009, the band's sophomore album, Swoon, notched them a Best New Artist Grammy nomination -- and we're thinking their triumphant new set Neck Of The Woods should score them some actual hardware. The band's time in the lab has been spent mastering the dark art of loud/quiet/loud like an indie Voldemort: the album begins with the quiet build of "Skin Graph," which goes from a guitar stroll to a ragged, blistering sprint. The rest of the album follows suit, with spiky electric guitars stabbing their way through songs such as "Busy Bees" and "Mean Spirited" in between prettier moments.

Listen to Silversun Pickups' Neck Of The Woods album after the jump.

Silversun Pickups' Smashing Pumpkins vibes haven't faded, but this time around, the band's iPod's on shuffle: "Here We Are (Chancer)" floats with a Radiohead-like bassline and drum programming, while with its downcast guitar riff, "Make Believe" opens like blink-182's "Adam's Song." Single "Bloody Mary (Nerve Endings)" swerves between dizzying shoegaze and peeling back the layers to let singer Brian Aubert's raw vocals tear through. He's in fierce form throughout, matching shark-sized hooks to dead-serious lyrics: "This is not a game for me/ I might've lost my mind," he sings on "Make Believe."

Despite his warnings, we think Neck Of The Woods sounds more like a big win. The album's due May 8 on Dangerbird Records. Dig in below.

+ Listen to Silversun Pickups' Neck Of The Woods.