17 January 2007
Steve Almaas And Ali Smith
Steve And Ali's latest, You Showed Me, spent the holidays raking in postive press:
FUFKIN: "Almaas (ex- Suicide Commandos and Beat Rodeo) and Smith (ex-Speedball Baby) sure sound like they enjoyed making this top notch roots-pop record... This is a real winner of an album, where strong material is done justice by superb performances."
ADVANCE COPY: "If the Raveonettes ever explored their country-western side more..."
Plus a Magnet Magazine review so sweet we've reproduced it in it's entirety here:
Magnet: "Erstwhile Beat Rodeo mainman Steve Almaas had to be smarting last spring. That's when Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs released their collection of sunshine pop, Under The Covers, Vol. 1. Meanwhile, Almaas had his own set of golden-hued duets planned for himself and Ali Smith (ex-Speedball Baby). No matter that theirs was to be mostly originals and the Sweet/Hoffs summit comprised '60s covers; given the respective projects' stylistic and sonic similarities, overshadowing comparisons were inevitable. Never fear, though. Almaas and Smith bring a refreshing panache to the table, luxuriating simultaneously in Revolver-esque psych (that's Mitch Easter's 12-string squaring off against Jon Graboff's pedal steel and Smith's dreamy vocal on "Absolutely Free") and Buddy Holly-meets-Everly Brothers twang pop ("The Winner"). The pair's choice of covers, both from the '60s, brings an uncommon emotional resonance, too: one obscurity (aching Brian Wilson ballad "The Lonely Sea", from the Beach Boys' Surfin' USA) and one classic ("You Showed Me", a Gene Clarke/Roger McGuinn composition turned into a hit by the Turtles). Harmonizing like they sprang from the same womb, these songbirds have an easygoing style that's irresistible. Sweet and Hoffs may have been the first horses out of the gate, but Almaas and Smith are the ones who deserve to occupy the winners' circle." (Fred Mills/Jan-Feb 2007)
PARCD102
FUFKIN: "Almaas (ex- Suicide Commandos and Beat Rodeo) and Smith (ex-Speedball Baby) sure sound like they enjoyed making this top notch roots-pop record... This is a real winner of an album, where strong material is done justice by superb performances."
ADVANCE COPY: "If the Raveonettes ever explored their country-western side more..."
Plus a Magnet Magazine review so sweet we've reproduced it in it's entirety here:
Magnet: "Erstwhile Beat Rodeo mainman Steve Almaas had to be smarting last spring. That's when Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs released their collection of sunshine pop, Under The Covers, Vol. 1. Meanwhile, Almaas had his own set of golden-hued duets planned for himself and Ali Smith (ex-Speedball Baby). No matter that theirs was to be mostly originals and the Sweet/Hoffs summit comprised '60s covers; given the respective projects' stylistic and sonic similarities, overshadowing comparisons were inevitable. Never fear, though. Almaas and Smith bring a refreshing panache to the table, luxuriating simultaneously in Revolver-esque psych (that's Mitch Easter's 12-string squaring off against Jon Graboff's pedal steel and Smith's dreamy vocal on "Absolutely Free") and Buddy Holly-meets-Everly Brothers twang pop ("The Winner"). The pair's choice of covers, both from the '60s, brings an uncommon emotional resonance, too: one obscurity (aching Brian Wilson ballad "The Lonely Sea", from the Beach Boys' Surfin' USA) and one classic ("You Showed Me", a Gene Clarke/Roger McGuinn composition turned into a hit by the Turtles). Harmonizing like they sprang from the same womb, these songbirds have an easygoing style that's irresistible. Sweet and Hoffs may have been the first horses out of the gate, but Almaas and Smith are the ones who deserve to occupy the winners' circle." (Fred Mills/Jan-Feb 2007)
PARCD102
