Smith Westerns: Dye it Blonde (2011)

It's pretty tough to write about Smith Westerns without referring to things the Nuggets Box Set and bands like T. Rex. Their influences are so obvious right from the start that it's easy to go down that path. So that's exactly what I'm going to do. Smith Westerns self titled 2009 debut garnered some pretty favorable reviews but not too many people heard it. The biggest problem with that album is that the production was so bad it was hard to hear what was going on in the music. Still there was a undeniable charm to their ultra hooky brand of garage punk.

Smith Westerns second album, Dye It Blonde, has been recorded by and released on a fairly prominent indie label (Fat Possum), and the sound quality is greatly improved. It manages to retain the bands scruffy charm but you can actually hear the music instead of a mass of noise. Dye it Blonde is less rambunctious than their debut but far more enjoyable. The opening track "Weekend" sets the tone perfectly for the album. It's loaded with T. Rex and Mott the Hoople style fuzz guitar and has a giant hook to draw the listener in. The vocals are mainly delivered with a breathy style of singing that's reminiscent of My Bloody Valentine but with a bit more power. The rest of the album follows suit with a mix of up tempo tracks ("Imagine Pt. 3," "Fallen in Love," "Dance Away") and slower material ("Still New," "Smile," "All Die Young") that are equally effective. The only major downside to Dye it Blonde is that the band doesn't really have it's own voice yet.

Smith Westerns are a band with a ton of promise (they're all around 20 years old) and even if it isn't completely fulfilled on Dye it Blonde, the record is another step forward for the group. I look forward to future releases from them and hopefully they can turn their influences into something with a bit more of a personal stamp. They seem fully capable of doing so but they're not quite there yet.


Rating: 3.5/5


Track Listing:

1. "Weekend" - 3:20
2. "Still New" - 4:10
3. "Imagine Pt. 3" - 3:32
4. "All Die Young" - 3:45
5. "Fallen in Love" - 2:28
6. "End of the Night" - 3:24
7. "Only One" - 3:22
8. "Smile" - 4:09
9. "Dance Away" - 2:44
10. "Dye the World" - 4:11