The Smiles and Frowns have been enjoying favorable and apt comparisons to such psych-folk architects as Syd Barrett and White Album era Beatles in the year or so since the release of their debut self-titled album. The Phoenix, AZ duo themselves describe their sound as:
…a bit of a mix. There are haunted train ride songs, and children’s theme music songs, psychedelic science fiction songs etc. I guess it’s mostly just a collection of experiments in sound, patterns, and melodies. (The Urbanian, 3/9/2009)
Whatever it is, I’m liking it and so is UK label, akoustik anarkhy, who are giving The Smiles and Frowns an official re-release this month. The 25 minute long mini-album ranges in tone from a playful and aloof track about a bird named Sam to a creepy, instrumental waltz titled “March of the Phantom Faces.” It’s tough to pick a favorite, in part because the 8 tracks, as distinct from each other as they are, hang together so well. But here’s one of the more playful tracks, about a boy named Cornelius who sits up in a tree all day, talking to animals through the use of a magical flute.
The Smiles and Frowns, “Cornelius”
You can preview more tracks from their myspace page or purchase and download the mp3 version of the album from Amazon.
PS I doubt I’m the only person for whom “Cornelius” recalls this:
Is it just me or is children’s television programming so much less frightening nowadays?
*Adam Mattson, one half of The Smiles and Frowns, quoted in a recent Guardian review
