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A sparse continuation
All Smiles - Ten Readings of a Warning |
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Review by Andy Argyrakis Beloved indie rockers Grandaddy called it a day in 2006, despite nearly a decade's worth of critical acclaim, a massive underground fan base and tours with many of today's most prominent bands (including Coldplay). But the break-up hasn't caused as much of a shake-up for individual band members, particularly guitarist Jim Fairchild, who presses on with a move to Chicago and this subsequent solo release. He may not have the backing of V2 Records anymore, but still has plenty of industry friends, including the folks at Dangerbird, plus album collaborators Joe Plummer (of Modest Mouse and the Black Heart Procession fame) and Janet Weiss (from Sleater-Kinney and Quasi).Like Grandaddy's subtle and sublime minimalist style, All Smiles is comprised of even more sparse instrumentation, though it provides an extremely personal and intimate side of Fairchild that was previously overshadowed by his last band's front man Jason Lytle. While the two singer's voices aren't all that different from one another, Fairchild's is at times more rugged and in other instances much warmer, though his production centers around a very humble home studio setting. Thankfully, it doesn't come at the expense of creative quality, thanks mostly to the piano-tipped peacefulness of "Moth In a Cloud of Smoke" and the chucky acoustics of "Summer Stay." The remainder of the record is also steeped in chilled out tendencies, from the soft spoken vocals and easygoing strums of "Killing Sheep" to the jazzy cymbal crashes of "I Know It's Wrong." At times it might have sounded better if Fairchild fleshed out his sonic feelings with additional depth (such as the simplistic percussion centering of "Leave Love" and the especially low-fi feel of "Sprinting Hyphens") though these tunes (like the aforementioned) still show a considerable amount of poetic prowess and quaint charm. Whether a fan of Fairchild's previous band or simply discovering All Smiles for the first time, expect a generally endearing and all around comforting collection. |