The new disc by the Smith Westerns doesn’t take long to reel you in.  A trancy backdrop and bouncy guitar give way to a dreamy vocal on the albums opening track, and before you know it you’re hooked.

A much more polished effort than the Smith’s (on second thought, I should probably use Western’s for short) first album, the new disc still has the rambunctious youthful spirit that shone through on the debut.  When contemporary music like this has a retro feel to it, comparisons to 70′s rockers like T Rex and Mott the Hoople are never far away.  All glam rock references aside, lead guitarist Max Kakacek’s axe work is also at times reminiscent of a Dark Horse Years George Harrison.  As good as the rest of this album is, the guitar lines always seem to be at the forefront, standing out on almost every track.   Songs like All Die Young, and Imagine Pt. 3 serve as nice high water marks, but the album is a solid listen in it’s entirety.

Throughout, the disc manages to have an Avante-Garde feel to it while managing to be extremely catchy and inviting at the same time.  That’s what I like the most about this album, despite being incredibly hipster friendly, it isn’t too cool for the rest of us.