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On the Shel 167: Cullen Omori
Jul. 2nd, 2016 02:00 pmThe Smith Westerns are one of my favorite new bands of the last 15 years. The five piece were from Chicago but they were clearly Angophiles.
Their second album (2011's Dye it Blonde released on Fat Possum Records) put them on the map with a sound that evoked nth-generation T Rex and brought 70s British glam to lo-fi indie rock.
2016 sees singer Cullen Omori signed to Sub Pop for his first record after the band split. Though, it's a recipe for diminishing returns, Omori generally succeeds in delivering a consistent and satisfying debut.
It's funny in that I think Dye it Blonde, Soft Will (the Smith Westerns 2013 Swan Song) and this record are all very different records. (As an aside, Soft Will moved towards a more commercial alt-rock sound. It was fine, but not the great listen found on Dye). New Misery (the new disc) sounds like it was recorded in a musical world where the most important question is "Blur or Oasis?"
Yet, why I think all three of these records are distinct, the ingredients are pretty much the same. It's hard to imagine this record would exist in a world without The Slider, and although the atmospheric sound here was perfected by Bolan, it also means that this record recalls to a certain extent Spiritualized, and a little bit of everything that came between.
"Cinnamon" hits some heights that the rest of the record doesn't always get to, but at least it succeeds more often than not, and is a pleasant surprise in a world where bands break up and their members normally fade away without remark.
(Some NFSW language in the video)
Their second album (2011's Dye it Blonde released on Fat Possum Records) put them on the map with a sound that evoked nth-generation T Rex and brought 70s British glam to lo-fi indie rock.
2016 sees singer Cullen Omori signed to Sub Pop for his first record after the band split. Though, it's a recipe for diminishing returns, Omori generally succeeds in delivering a consistent and satisfying debut.
It's funny in that I think Dye it Blonde, Soft Will (the Smith Westerns 2013 Swan Song) and this record are all very different records. (As an aside, Soft Will moved towards a more commercial alt-rock sound. It was fine, but not the great listen found on Dye). New Misery (the new disc) sounds like it was recorded in a musical world where the most important question is "Blur or Oasis?"
Yet, why I think all three of these records are distinct, the ingredients are pretty much the same. It's hard to imagine this record would exist in a world without The Slider, and although the atmospheric sound here was perfected by Bolan, it also means that this record recalls to a certain extent Spiritualized, and a little bit of everything that came between.
"Cinnamon" hits some heights that the rest of the record doesn't always get to, but at least it succeeds more often than not, and is a pleasant surprise in a world where bands break up and their members normally fade away without remark.
(Some NFSW language in the video)
