It’s somewhat difficult to review a record by 13 different bands, as is the case with Sonny Smith’s newest installment of the 100 Records project. To say something overarching about the project as a whole, Smith tackles making music by employing a framework that makes the listener more conscious of style, genre, and approach. With each new song, the lens is shifting. It’s a decision that merges the world of music with that of performance art or even art at large, and by that virtue immediately fascinates.
If you’re totally in the dark here, we can shed some light on things. Sonny Smith of Sonny and the Sunsets began a project some years ago now for which he invented 100 different single records. Each single would have an A-side and B-side. And each was created by a fictional band. That’s right, Smith invented all the bands that created the songs, which were also fictional. However, after the sleeves and artwork were rendered, he set out to record each of the songs he had imagined. What would these bands sound like? What personas would the artists inhabit? 100 Records Volume 3 contains everything from edgy lo-fi punk to folk instrumentals to country narratives to good old rock ‘n’ roll. Some, okay many, of the songs are funny, some are catchy, some are rocking, and some meander by pleasantly without being too obtrusive.
Dismantling or considering each song seems tiresome, but I can tell you that you’ll find yourself dancing to the rock of “A Steady Stream of Love” by Little Antoine & The Sparrows and the surfy groove of “Life Ain’t Clear” by the cleverly named Danny Dusk and The Twilights. Zig Speck & Specktones unsurprisingly channels the glam and rock that dominated the 70s. And it’s hard not to get through Hank Champion’s talky country tale “From Dud to Stud, From Zero to Hero.”
In any case, the album isn’t just a collection of creative songs. Rather, it is an experience that asks us to think about an artist and their relationship to the kinds of songs they create. They prove an imaginative dexterity on the part of Smith, who showcases an impressive prolific creativity that many other artists undoubtedly envy. Have you ever wanted to start a punk band, but you’re too caught up with your folk rock project? Why wait? Just release a split with your alter ego. Thanks for teaching us to bend the rules and for an enjoyable collection of songs by 13 bands from your brain, Mr. Smith.
