Post by Zapp Brannigan on Feb 6, 2011 20:37:58 GMT -5
www.lifessweetbreath.com/reviews/albums/17-dye-it-blonde.html
Smith Westerns - Dye It Blonde
[Fat Possum, 2011]
82%
The lo-fi movement that arguably reached its apex sometime in the past year is something of a difficult proposition. Imprints such as In The Red and Woodsist have produced bands like Woods, The Fresh and Onlys, and even Wavves, bands that write truly great hooks, but hooks that are buried under caked layers of fuzz. That’s the paradoxical question that is central to the lo-fi subgenre, if lo-fi music can indeed be labeled as such—what is the value of a good hook if common ears can't make it out? Well, for those who would answer that question with disdain, Smith Westerns—arguably a large part of the lo-fi movement themselves—have a treat in store for you.
While the youngsters certainly flexed an innate talent for making deceptively simple rock hooks on their 2009, self-titled debut, they also tended toward the aforementioned habit of burying their melodies deep into the track. On their follow-up, Dye It Blonde, Smith Westerns, graced with an undoubtedly larger studio budget thanks to their new home in major-indie label Fat Possum, have shined a light on their songs, producing them for mass consumption. They still have that same irresistibly youthful charm about them, but the guitars are brighter, the piano on songs like “All Die Young” cuts through the track like a knife, and the wailing backup vocals are easily audible.
However, that’s not to say that Smith Westerns are somehow resting on their laurels or leaning heavily on a cushy studio to do their job for them. On Blonde, the band have written just as many hooks that will cozy up into the deepest crevices of your memory and stay a while. T Rex-inspired rockers like opening track “Weekend” and “Still New” will have you rushing to hit repeat to hear that soaring guitar riff a few more times, while mid-tempo cuts like “Smile” and album closer "Dye the World" more than do their job in pacing the album.
As a whole, though, the album is a relatively fast-paced one. They bounce through the majority of the album’s 38-plus minutes, exhibiting an ironically naïve exuberance that can be quite contagious if you give yourself to it. Much has been written about the band member’s ages—each band member is between 18-20 years old and you’d be hard-pressed to find a review of their music that didn’t mention that fact—and deservedly so. Judging by the keen musical awareness they’ve plastered all over their second album at such a ripe age—not to mention the street smarts shown in shedding some of the soon-to-be-dying, snobbish lo-fi ethos shown on their debut—, they’ve got a long, productive career ahead of them.
-Kyle A. Rosko, January 21, 2011
Smith Westerns - Dye It Blonde
[Fat Possum, 2011]
82%
The lo-fi movement that arguably reached its apex sometime in the past year is something of a difficult proposition. Imprints such as In The Red and Woodsist have produced bands like Woods, The Fresh and Onlys, and even Wavves, bands that write truly great hooks, but hooks that are buried under caked layers of fuzz. That’s the paradoxical question that is central to the lo-fi subgenre, if lo-fi music can indeed be labeled as such—what is the value of a good hook if common ears can't make it out? Well, for those who would answer that question with disdain, Smith Westerns—arguably a large part of the lo-fi movement themselves—have a treat in store for you.
While the youngsters certainly flexed an innate talent for making deceptively simple rock hooks on their 2009, self-titled debut, they also tended toward the aforementioned habit of burying their melodies deep into the track. On their follow-up, Dye It Blonde, Smith Westerns, graced with an undoubtedly larger studio budget thanks to their new home in major-indie label Fat Possum, have shined a light on their songs, producing them for mass consumption. They still have that same irresistibly youthful charm about them, but the guitars are brighter, the piano on songs like “All Die Young” cuts through the track like a knife, and the wailing backup vocals are easily audible.
However, that’s not to say that Smith Westerns are somehow resting on their laurels or leaning heavily on a cushy studio to do their job for them. On Blonde, the band have written just as many hooks that will cozy up into the deepest crevices of your memory and stay a while. T Rex-inspired rockers like opening track “Weekend” and “Still New” will have you rushing to hit repeat to hear that soaring guitar riff a few more times, while mid-tempo cuts like “Smile” and album closer "Dye the World" more than do their job in pacing the album.
As a whole, though, the album is a relatively fast-paced one. They bounce through the majority of the album’s 38-plus minutes, exhibiting an ironically naïve exuberance that can be quite contagious if you give yourself to it. Much has been written about the band member’s ages—each band member is between 18-20 years old and you’d be hard-pressed to find a review of their music that didn’t mention that fact—and deservedly so. Judging by the keen musical awareness they’ve plastered all over their second album at such a ripe age—not to mention the street smarts shown in shedding some of the soon-to-be-dying, snobbish lo-fi ethos shown on their debut—, they’ve got a long, productive career ahead of them.
-Kyle A. Rosko, January 21, 2011
