Album review: Smith Westerns, 'Dye it Blonde'
3 stars (out of 4)
Smith Westerns’ second album follows through on Phil Spector’s long-ago mission to produce “little symphonies for the kids.” On “Dye it Blonde” (Fat Possum), these little symphonies for the kids are actually done by kids; none of the Chicago band’s core trio – brothers Cullen and Cameron Omori, and Max Kakacek --were of voting age when the album was recorded.
Though producer Chris Coady (whose credits include production, engineering or mixing work with Beach House, TV on the Radio and the Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs) deserves credit for polishing the sound, the Smith Westerns were aiming for this sweet spot all along. Their self-titled 2009 debut, released by Chicago indie Hozac Records, brimmed with effervescent, bubblegum-glam and garage-rock melodies. It sounded as fuzzy and dim as a basement recording because it was, in fact, recorded in a basement.
“Dye it Blonde” upgrades the low-fi sound without sacrificing boyish innocence or vision; one senses this is exactly how the band wanted to sound on its first album, minus the technological resources.
“Weekend” sets the tone, with its shimmering keyboards, watery guitars and burbling bass lines. The fey vocals suggest a sigh magnified tenfold into a chorus of heart-broken 12-year-olds. Reverb is everywhere, as if the band recorded in a cathedral to be closer to the girls it worships.
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