SMITH WESTERNS * DYE IT BLONDE
(Fat Possum Records)
Over the past several years, there's been an unwelcome trend in rock music of not focusing enough on the guitar, which is arguably the star of that genre. Smith Westerns stick up a giant middle finger to that tendency with their sophomore record, Dye It Blonde. Kicking off the album is "Weekend," the first single, a punchy track that shows us just what we should expect from the rest of the record...perfectly fuzzy guitars, dreamy vocals and hook after hook after hook.
The way this whole record defies timelines is one of its most defining traits. Smith Westerns give us a history of rock & roll without forcing a vintage feel. The distinctive wailing guitar on the appropriately named "Still New" provides the soundtrack for what you'd expect to hear if you were lucky enough to make out with Jodi Kramer. Immediately following is "All Die Young," which gives us a 90s style singalong vibe, with pop sensibility that seems too easy to sound this good. After Smith Westerns fit us into a comfortable guitar-rich vibe, they then throw out "Dance Away," which would make even the squarest of squares tap his foot in rhythmic delight.
Every song on this record is perfectly polished, but not overproduced. We get a complete sense of what type of band they are, not what they think they should be...and the fact that the young Chicagoans still can't drink at their own shows makes this sophomore effort even more impressive. When I was a 20, I was befriending whomever had a fake ID or could loan me $5 for a keg cup...these babyfaces are making legit rock music and proving that they've got one hell of a future ahead of them. They win.
Grade: A
The way this whole record defies timelines is one of its most defining traits. Smith Westerns give us a history of rock & roll without forcing a vintage feel. The distinctive wailing guitar on the appropriately named "Still New" provides the soundtrack for what you'd expect to hear if you were lucky enough to make out with Jodi Kramer. Immediately following is "All Die Young," which gives us a 90s style singalong vibe, with pop sensibility that seems too easy to sound this good. After Smith Westerns fit us into a comfortable guitar-rich vibe, they then throw out "Dance Away," which would make even the squarest of squares tap his foot in rhythmic delight.
Every song on this record is perfectly polished, but not overproduced. We get a complete sense of what type of band they are, not what they think they should be...and the fact that the young Chicagoans still can't drink at their own shows makes this sophomore effort even more impressive. When I was a 20, I was befriending whomever had a fake ID or could loan me $5 for a keg cup...these babyfaces are making legit rock music and proving that they've got one hell of a future ahead of them. They win.
Grade: A
Smith Westerns - Weekend from Fat Possum Records on Vimeo.
1 comment:
Agree... one of the better albums of this very young 2011.
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