Reading about and listening to Smooth Taste consisting of Daniel Tucker (drums), Nathan Gimpel (bass), Blake Rogers (guitar) and Sutten McWaters (vocals/keys) reminded me of being in college about fifteen years ago.
I talked to a lot of bands as a music major myself and swear every other band was a fusion band of some sort that claimed their jams were deep insights into the human condition. Of course as you get older you realize that not every twenty-two-year-old you ran into went on to have a prolific career as a musician. Those rare artists who can tap in the collective conscious of a culture for myriad reasons are far and in between but can appreciate anyone who attempts to do so. On Spring Cleaning which is a three-song release from the band they try to capture the ineffable epic spirit of a band like Pink Floyd. They do this with the aptly titled “Dark Matter” which has a poppy, buoyant sound but still undeniably sounds very similar to Pink Floyd. The song’s best moments are the first half. It works well because it's catchy and memorable. The second half is ’70s inspired jam which has been done too much and really felt best for a live situation. The issue here is the recording which is so lo-fi made it hard to enjoy the nuances of the jam. Up next is “Spring Cleaning, Pt. 1” where the band tries to go very deep. You have the classic ’70s lead guitar, lamenting vocals and atmospheric, backwards elements. It’s reflective and nostalgic with a bunch of melancholy for good measure. Last but not least is “Spring Cleaning, Pt. 2” which more or less just a jam. It sounds pretty great at first. It has this spaghetti western type vibe. The song just gets faster and turns into a noodle session. It features lead guitar that could go on forever while the other instruments run amok with a stampede of sound. The song feels frivolous and sort of silly before transitioning into an ambient pad that I suppose is trying to make you feel some sort of deeper stillness before ending. I appreciate what these young men are trying to accomplish. When you are trying to make music this deep and epic you are going to have your work cut out for you. You are just going to have to have a high quality recording for it to be its most effective. I really don’t see a way around this with the style they have on this EP. Speaking of their style they have a very familiar one which been mimicked since Pink Floyd became popular. Whether it’s singing about free will or destiny, it will be best if they can find their own angle to stick out from the crowd. I think Smooth Taste is a capable band with a good amount of potential. They have a good amount of technical talent and I hope to hear them evolve as band.
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