Monday 8 March 2010

The Smith Westerns




















OK, what if i told you there was this band, right?, and this band sounded like a cross between the Ramones and the Beach Boys? That suggested a fizzy Pavement or a more together Daniel Johnston? A band that sounded like POBPAH's little brothers or distant relations to the Buzzcocks? A group that churned out fantastically highly cranked up garage pop? The Jesus and Mary Chain snogging with Bowie? A band that had big fat hooks hidden carefully between ocean size sheets of fuzz and frolics? Well then, dear friend, let me introduce you to the joy of Smith Westerns.

The Chicago four piece are one of those bands that put their heart into their music. It sounds endearingly ramshackle to the point of amateur. But make no mistake, there is real, real talent here.
'Dreams' is the sound of early Orange Juice covered by a CBGB band. Can we coin the phrase Chime-punk? Because that is what this is. A love song of the Buzzcock variety, with chunky riffs hidden under the tinkling guitar only adding to the sheer, unabashed joy of the chorus.

'Girl in Love' is glam rock, but good glam rock. More glittery than sleazy, with the hand-on-hips vocal fighting to death with the Bolan stomp and fuzzed up guitars. Its the sound of being 15 placed delicately on to leopard-skin vinyl.

OK, imagine someone drinking too much Tizer and then drunkenly singing Shawaddywaddy on karaoke. Now put the whole sound through an effect pedal. Imagine the whole thing sounding like a sunny teenage day. You now have 'Tonight'.

Smith Westerns-Get trigger happy.

http://www.myspace.com/smithwesterns

Tonight-

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