smith westerns- dye it blonde

the smith westerns went big time in 2010.....the hype seemed to stick to the young fuzz pop rockers, with fat possum re-releasing their s/t debut lp this year...just barely after it went out of print on hozac. everyone from pitchfork on down loved them....and with their catchy glam lo-fi garage pop, who couldn't resist singing along.

and now 2011 brings us their second long player.

(click here to snag it before it's proper release date. )

i'm posting it without properly listening to it.....but the smith westerns' dye it blonde avoids most of the perils of the sophomore slump. they wear their influences more subtly then on the s/t lp, where their love for t rex is almost too endearing.

dye it blonde is more produced and less immediate then its predecessor, but perhaps just as catchy.... maybe a little more bowie and britpop then garage and lo-fi. but rather than trading influences like some bands do as they evolve, the smith westerns just add to the mix....with good results.....

dance away and weekend are killer indie pop tracks i'm sure you'll hear plenty of times in 2011...

these kids are not one shot and out rockers.....soon everyone will love the smith westerns, not just chicago.......

and i agree with filter's summation of dye it blonde...."While the new album holds on to the qualities that endeared fans to the band and avoids replicating the debut, the slower tracks can run together at times. But if the Smith Westerns' sound calls to you, then spending time getting to know Dye It Blonde won't be a problem."

chicago scene

the smith westerns have their new LP out, glam garage punk perfect for summer afternoons. the hozac LP is distributed through revolver so you ought to be able to get it anywhere, though i think they made less than 500 of the vinyl.

white mystery played their 7 inch record release party at permanent records yesterday. two piece garage that makes you need to dance. their hozac single is super limited so it might be gone this week.......find ms alex white and grab yr copy soon........

the yolks have a new LP out as well, good ol fashioned rock n roll. i still need to pick it up, but i think a band that lent its songwriting abilities to nobunny for a track know how to write a good song.

aside from the garage rock, noise makers cacaw have a new LP out, which i need to buy after seeing them open up for double dagger. fucking abrasive royal trux-ish noise.....in vein of all those old touch and go records that are slowly getting recognized as classics.........i'll try to find some of their track to post here later.................

friday night

jay reatard was awesome. fun times always....only played one new song, nothings going to save me, so i guess we'll have to wait for the rest of the LP til it comes out in august.

lover! opened. good garage punk. and the smith westerns started things off. nuggets era garage mixed with a bit of glam and pop punk. watch out for these guys in the future. they ought to be the nest big thing. buy their LP on hozac records now, it just came out.......