|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
LP
|
|
AW 140LP
|
"Smug Brothers' music has been cutting through the indie noise for more than two decades, driven by the ever-evolving chemistry of singer/guitarist Kyle Melton and drummer Don Thrasher (Guided by Voices, Swearing at Motorists), and their slew of highly collectible LPs, CDs, and cassettes. Smug Brothers' newest release, Gravity Is Just A Way To Fall, does that for you, arriving on the heels of both a new record and an increasing number of shows, festival spots, and Melton's own recording finesse. Like Heartless Bastards, Cloud Nothings, or Times New Viking, Smug Brothers burst out of Ohio in the mid-2000s with a scrappy, lo-fi sound that only hinted at the head-bobbing greatness to come. Thank the indie gods, then, that they've chosen a tight 13 songs for the LP version of Gravity that showcase their mastery with a rotating cast of Ohioans (most of them sporting their own worthy musical projects, including Kyle Sowash, Brian Baker, and Marc Betts). This is deeply satisfying music that demands a cold beer, a sunset view, and your loudest speakers (headphones are OK for second listens). Fiercely DIY in spirit and deceptively straightforward in sonics, the tracklist on Gravity captures a band that's still getting more creative and confident -- see Melton's recent, aforementioned engineering and mixing triumphs on beloved analog gear -- while staying rooted in the rich soil of the Buckeye State. There's precious little these days that doesn't feel alternately niche or blandly calibrated. But on Gravity, you hear an honest-to-God band soaring on killer hooks, lyrics, and beats while embracing rock fundamentals. It would be easy to name-drop Ohio influences or inspirations -- forebears or peers such as The Breeders, Brainiac, and Afghan Whigs -- but Smug Brothers justifies them handily, and one listen to Gravity shows you why their hand-crafted musical world and boundless exploration have made them a pillar of Midwestern rock, under-the-radar or not." --John Wenzel
|
|
|
Artist |
Title |
Format |
Label |
Catalog # |
|
|
LP
|
|
AW 124LP
|
"Since forming in 2004, Ohio rock band Smug Brothers have enjoyed a relaxed, almost nonchalant, approach to writing and recording, with most albums being minor Big Bangs -- instant and electric. New LP In the Book of Bad Ideas, on the other hand, was a struggle against entropy -- the disorder caused by plagues and departing personnel. Singer, guitarist, and songwriter Kyle Melton wrote the majority of the tunes in 'bunker fashion' during the miserable pandemic summer of 2020, then slowly started recording them with bassist Kyle Sowash, lead guitarist Scott Tribble, and drummer/Smug Brothers co-pilot Don Thrasher in 2021. That November, his contributions partially completed, Tribble decamped the band due to a new job and new demands. The exit was amicable, yet left the group in a lead guitar lurch. Melton had little choice but to enter the ring and play solos on some songs. Finally, belatedly, both In the Book of Bad Ideas and its sister EP Emerald Lemonade were finished in the spring of 2022. And against the odds, the two-year slog produced pleasantly surprising results. On In the Book of Bad Ideas, the band's typical, semi-'60s sound -- boasting biting leads and breakneck jangles -- is now fully integrated with synthesizers and crafted with a cool gloss, anachronistically creating the first Smug Brothers album of the early '80s."
|