At first, Smith Westerns seemed easy to peg: Chicago prep school teens play garage rock with a glam-rock slant. With 2011’s excellent Dye It Blonde, the group—singer/guitarist Cullen Omari, bass-playing brother Cameron and lead guitarist Max Kakacek (and a rotating cast of drummers)—began to step away from the garage-rock template. But once you’re pegged, you’re pegged, and Smith Westerns still got called a garage-rock band. That should change with Soft Will (Mom + Pop), the band’s third album. Its sunny disposition favors mid-tempo tunes and gentle singing, and it’s loaded with breezy melodies, drenched in reverb and laced with echoes of several eras of Britpop. Smith Westerns will be guest editing magnetmagazine.com. Read our brand new feature on them.
Cameron: This audiobook, written and read by Michael Caine, spans the actor’s entire life. Clocking in at more than 10 hours, the book is a great listen, and not just because of his distinctive voice. Highlights from the book include getting into a fistfight with Robert Shaw, teaching listeners how to tell if their face will get them a leading role in a film, describing Austin (he has a “Keep Austin Weird” mug), receiving his CBE and getting to be in Goldmember. Definitely recommend this for any Caine fan or anyone on a long car ride (great for tour).
Video after the jump.
