Smith Westerns and Yuck! from BackBooth in Orlando – 2.3.2011

Chicago’s Smith Westerns are gaining plenty of acclaim and buzz around their latest album, Dye it Blonde. They have Chi-Town sound in their 70′s guitar rock approach with the indie twist of subtly downplaying a sound that could be much larger in favor of hooks and bright melodies. Orlando music aficionado , Bao, compares them to the dreamier side of T-Rex and I would have to agree. They sounded good and even brought their sonic approach from Dye it Blonde to tunes from their abominably recorded debut album. This unlocked the core melody and vibe of a song like “Tonight” from the shackles of the purposely low-fi and sometimes grating sound it has on the record. That being said, I’m going to have to go with Yuck! for stealing the show. They brought an unabashedly big sound that took me by surprise and ended their set in a screeching jam out. I like.