Don’t let their Chicago-claimed roots mislead you; Smith Westerns might be the most British sounding band you’ll hear this decade. Possessing only a vague familiarity with this group, it was a good thing I did some research, as I was all ready to go ahead and ascribe the band as belonging to some Oasis-devoted portion of the UK. While I recovered from that surprise, I still find that the best way to classify the sound of their new album Soft Will is by its classic britpop sunniness and laid-back Beatles nostalgia, though its earnest atmospherics and melancholic twinges supply it with a sufficiently pleasing amount of modernity.
The opening track, “3am Spiritual,” pays homage to its title as a sleepy rise-and-shine tune, one that eventually strolls into the daylight upon a burst of cymbals and guitar, never to return inside again. Idol passes on the carefree motif with its beaming guitars, arena saunter, and hands-waving-in-the-air chorus. The bright-sounding Glossed continues in this mode with its whiny guitars and mellow hums, and while XXIII starts off similarly with dainty piano chords, flower-child guitar strums and an acoustic drum set, it darkens into a sixties psychedelia instrumental procession.
“Fool Proof” emerges uniquely from the bunch, mixing jangly guitar with spacey guitars, heart-torn melodies, and triumphant piano-runs. The lackluster “With Oath” kneels on the altar of peace before taking a sign-strewn stroll that continues on through “On Natural.” Both tracks see periodic swells of atmospheric orchestration that propel the sound to transcendent realms. The last real standout is “Varsity,” whose hooks are undeniably catchy and whose synths are beautifully celebratory. It sounds as a closing anthem heralding some triumph of spirit, assuring us that life always goes on. Though with this band, lingering in the past is such a pleasant thing to do.
