I stumbled upon The Smith Westerns album recently and I listened to the whole thing in one go. It wasn't hard mind, it's only 29 minutes long. But I suppose that's part of the fun with ramshackle, lo-fi garage punk, just ask The Black Lips (I think every review will mention this comparison.) A lot of bands are doing this now, some not very well, but I think Smith Westerns have an edge. The album is a shot of sweet pleasure, guitars and vocals combining and sounding like a swarm of bees and the handclaps and distortion creating an eerie underwater summer sound. They have a real pop element amongst the lo-fi sound, and that's what sets them apart, and even Bowie/T.Rex influences on 'Girl In Love.'
They've recently toured with this years indie darling newcomers Girls and it's not hard to see why. They have a message off them on their myspace, "This is no ordinary love x" Awwwwwwwwww.
