It’s possible that Omori is still unsure of exactly how to move on after the Smith Westerns.

David Lynch & Lykke Li – “I’m Waiting Here” (Sacred Bones) David Lynch has always had a thing for mysterious, alluring women. His film work has long reflected this, but lately so has his music. His second album, The Big Dream, takes a page from his first in aligning Lynch with an enchanting and established female vocalist for one of …

[xrr rating=2.5/5]On their third full-length, Soft Will, Smith Westerns have got their sound down. In fact, they might have it so well-honed that it’s starting to sound a little pat and, well, dull. It’s all right there on album opener “3 A.M. Spiritual”: ‘60s-tinged pop sensibility, a tinkling melody, laxly yearning vocals and a bendy guitar solo that George Harrison …

Halfway through the lackluster Smith Westerns set in front of a modestly full Doug Fir Lounge crowd that stood locked-kneed and arms-crossed (sans one drunk girl in front of me), singer Cullen Omori reminded us, “You remember what it was like to be 20……40 years ago!” It could have been a dig at draconian laws that prevent underage bands from …

Smith Westerns Dye It Blonde Rating: 3.9/5.0 Label: Fat Possum It’s tempting to love the Smith Westerns for no other reason than they’re so darn young. Core members Cullen and Cameron Omori and Max Kakacek are all in that wobbly stage of early adulthood where, aside from the pesky drinking age thing, the world is totally your oyster. Old enough …

Smith Westerns Smith Westerns Rating: 3.5/5.0 Label: Fat Possum The resurgence of the lo-fi movement in recent years has been peculiar for many reasons but consistency of approach has never been a problem for the genre. Lo-fi acts of the past two decades have been largely confined to the punk and garage rock spheres, making the peculiarity of hearing hissy …