Here's another one for ya,
Dumb Angel by Journey of Giraffes (SMiLE's working title meets
Pet Sounds' alt cover). This seems to be a tribute album of SMiLE-related music by the guys who started the Smile Shop forum, Jon and John. The former is credited with the cover art, the latter with the music itself. Considering this forum is the successor to their old site, and its a clear homage to Brian's best work, I'm REALLY surprised this doesn't have a spot. I don't expect it ever will since none of the other suggestions here are ever acted upon so I'll review it now in this post.
https://ajourneyofgiraffes.bandcamp.com/album/dumb-angelAngelus/Wow was a great alt take on Prayer/Gee, with the transition from one into the other much more seamless and satisfying than their Prayer/Gee equivalents. I loved this part.
By Hook or By Crook is where it gets spottier. Im not a big fan of the vocals, or at least the way they're mixed. It's incredibly hard to make out what the singer is even saying because he doesn't enunciate well or there's too much echo/reverb whatever in the mix. It's not bad but definitely far inferior to H&V, lacking the playfulness and "You're Under Arrest" oddities.
Fresh Zen Air is ok but another disappointment considering you could easily flesh out what's an annoying fragment that ought to be cut in BWPS/TSS into a full song but chose not to. This is just here out of obligation.
The Old Farmer's Almanac ditto. Ends way too abruptly.
Proper Passage is Cabin Essence without the dramatic shift from quiet verses to booming choruses that makes the original work. The "who laid the tracks down" part is very underwhelming. The fade is better than the choruses but still incredibly weak compared to the BB original. You could say it's an unfair comparison but it's not even close.
She Paints Wonderlands its ok. The sound font of this album is starting to grate on me by this point though. All the songs sound the same, I can hardly make out the words and it feels very "overly digitized singing over midi instruments" for my liking. I know that's the times we live in, there will never be another wrecking crew much less an average joe to have access to them. Still really sucks.
Son & Daughter it's CIFOTM without the thought provoking, initially contradicting lyrics or iconic baby's cry horn sound. Very underwhelming.
And Then, Hope same complaints, just a blander SU without clear vocals or distinct instruments. The lyrics for this and all other tracks (but especially this) are so much more inferior to VDP's work. There's none of the wordplay, references, allusions or alliterative flow. Just a bland dumbed down copy.
Ye Olde Toolshed a charming instrumental. Another highlight, ironically of SMiLE's worst track.
Potatoes it's VT without the optimistic energy--the weird whispering chorus is so not-Veggies like Im wondering where that came from. If you played this to me out of context, I'd never in a million years guess it's a Veggies knockoff.
Dusker bland, without the dramatically louder choruses or tag that make WC so special. (Noticing a pattern yet?)
The Great Baltimore Fire, 1904 is another highlight. I love this one and how it mirrors Fire but with weird oscillating "alien space laser" sounds. It ends too abruptly without the "stamping out the fire" sounds to bring it to a dramatic conclusion.
Clean Cleansing Rain is a serviceable counterpart to CCW. Another highlight.
Keep On the Wavelength is ok. A far less good GV but the chorus is still one of the better moments in this album. The titular phrase is really awkward and unintuitive though--no one would ever use such an awkward phrase in a song except when conceptually bound to sing GV without singing GV.
^Why is there no Worms equivalent? That seems the biggest omission. Overall, it's a 2/5. It's not just me being sour grapes "ugh it's not SMiLE" it's just an objectively bland recording where all the songs sound the same and the vocals are weak. The arrangements are very weak "cheap digital midi" sounding, without the bisociative use of specific instruments to evoke a mood like Brian did. They all blend into each other, where in SMiLE proper there was such an important "feel" to WC marimbas vs CE's banjos that gave each composition a pictorial identity. I really couldn't recommend this to anybody who isn't a curious diehard fan--the idea of the album (a half-original SMiLE tribute by the guys who made the famous 90s forum) is much more interesting than the results. It's everything wrong with modern amateur digital productions.
Author
