Published on Nov 1, 1999
Is it possible in an alternative music world to sound original
while building on the efforts of bands who came before you?
Good question – and it’s not one I’m quite prepared to answer
definitively. But in the case of Smash Palace, their disc
Fast, Long, Loud combines pop sensibilities with just a bit
of country/alternative twang a la the BoDeans. The end result is a
decent, if not a bit wandering, effort.
The band – vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Stephen Butler and
vocalist/drummer Brian Butler – are able to take their two-man
operation and convincingly sound like a full band throughout the
bulk of this disc. (To be fair, on two tracks, there is a full
band.) Musically, the group follows some of the same roads that
other bands like The Jayhawks and the BoDeans have carved, but
rarely do they sound like they’re trying to mimic those bands’
sound as well. No, Smash Palace is its own animal – and that’s one
point in their favor.
I’ll admit that it takes some time to really get into this
album; it would be far too easy to listen to the opening tracks
“Try” and “Turn Another Screw” and write them off as a wanna-be
band. Fact is, the beauty of Smash Palace’s work doesn’t show
itself until well into the album. Tracks like “Everything You
Bring,” “It’s All Because,” “Death Of Me” and “Let Me Go” all make
a strong case for this band. Since the brothers Butler are their
own self-contained band, you don’t need to hear any one instrument
or voice constantly in the forefront. If anything, the way that
everything is able to blend together is another facet that makes
this disc a special listen.
Unfortunately, such a level of excellence isn’t constant on
Fast, Long, Loud. The sound tends to get a little old as the
album winds down, and their dip into a more country-pop vein as on
the album’s closer “Riverdale” seems to end the disc on a down note
– not the way I would have chosen to finish things off. Still, the
mistakes on this disc are few, which is a good sign of promise for
Smash Palace.
The one drawback I would admit that Smash Palace has is that
they are a band that takes some getting used to. I think I had
given this disc five listens before I was ready to give it a listen
for review. I question whether some listeners will have that kind
of time and patience to let this group grow on them.
Still,
Fast, Long, Loud is a good effort from Smash Palace, and
serves as a sign that we will probably be hearing a lot more from
this band in due time.