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The Clumsy Lovers
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Smart Kid
Nettwerk Records
Release: 6/07/2005
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Rated:
Review by:
David Strickler
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The Clumsy Lovers are on track to become one of the
hottest bands to emerge from our brethren to the North.
Hailing from Vancouver, BC, the band - whose live shows
have been well documented on their previous self-released
albums - now presents Smart Kid, their second
release for Nettwerk Records, and seventh overall. The
lowdown? Hook-laden, high energy power pop with healthy
doses of Reggae and Irish fiddle reels, all encompassed by
rather plucky banjo work. Think the Barenaked Ladies on
Montego Bay.
And there's enough genre-blending music for every taste.
"Bobby Banjo" is the brooding younger sibling of "Tommy"
and "Johnny B. Goode," while "Okay Alright," could be the
progeny of Buddy Holly and the Go-Go's. There's a speedy
Irish jig song ("Coming Home") paired next to a Reggae
groove pop tune ("London Bridge").
The band wanted to replicate the randomness of their live
shows and capture the magic that seems to occur when they
take the stage. Enter producer John Webster (Aerosmith,
The Cult). "We're really a live band, and we used to bang out
our albums in a week," Chris Jonat, bassist and main
songwriter recently remarked. "That included recording,
mixing and mastering. People love the gigs, so we just put
down the best tunes from the current live shows the same
way we did 'em live. We eventually came around to
recognize the difference between a good record and a good
live show. John Webster hears the songs the same way we
do. He helped push us in directions we might not have gone
and let us add nuances to the music that will hopefully make
it bear up to repeated listening."
The band, Gordon Robert, drums; Jason Homey, banjo and
mandolin; Andrea Lewis, fiddle and vocals; Trevor Rogers,
guitar, harmonica, and vocals; and Jonat, who contributes
vocals as well, sound as if they've been playing together
much longer than they actually have. But then, near
constant touring will do that. The Clumsy Lovers are
anything but. Lovers perhaps, but there's nothing awkward
about their approach to music. |
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