There's a certain satisfaction from that intial musical sugar rush when you hear the correct combination of ringing guitars, thudding drums, and harmonizing vocals, a sound that is so difficult to get right that most bands never come within shouting distance of it. Many of the early 70's AM radio ready bands got close. Bands like Bread and America were awash in that sugary high, matched by their uncanny knack for writing melodies that buried themselves in your brain and refused to let go. And regardless of you personal tastes, it's difficult to fault them for doing exactly what they set out to do, maybe never quite pushing the creative envelope but finding their niche and refining their sound until it shined. Personally, I've got no disrespect for those bands. They produced some of the most undeniably catchy, ear baiting songs of their time and never felt the need to branch out; this is what they did and they did it exceedingly well.
With Dye It Blonde, Smith Westerns have documented their own familiarity and endearment to those same bands, and while they may not have had parents who played the greatest hits albums of those same bands constantly, as I did, I'm fairly certain they'd be able to hum along with me to "Sandman" or "London Bridge". Releasing their debut back in 2009, they barely hinted at the sonic maturity which they would achieve only 3 years later. Songs like the instantly catchy opener "Weekend", with its all inclusive sugary bliss call for everyone to hang out, and church organ/guitar slow burner "All Die Young" make the case that even though these guys are still very young, they have a fair respect for the musical lineage that they bear and help to continue. It doesn't hurt that these songs are as instantly memorable as any of their forebears, and you'll find the melodies swirling around in your head hours after the music stops. It seems that as listeners we may have become jaded or musically snobbish when talking about those 70's bands which we may or may not have heard on some greatest hits of the 70's Razor and Tie compilation. But as with any band respectful of their peers, Smith Westerns have adapted that heady rush of melody and endearing simplicity into their own chiming indie rock leanings and created an album so enamored with its own influences that it's hard to resist its charms. Just lean back, roll down the windows, and enjoy the wind against your face.
Tracklisting:
01. Weekend (listen to the mp3 below)
02. Still New
03. Imagine Pt. 3
04. All Die Young
05. Fallen In Love
06. End of the Night
07. Only One
08. Smile
09. Dance Away
10. Dye the World
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