The Brixton Riot and The Smith Brothers

The Brixton Riot “Sudden Fiction”
The Brixton Riot is a gathering of four rock veterans from the New Jersey area (The Christies and Electraluxe) and the debut EP is smooth indie power pop all the way. “Sudden Fiction” as the title suggests deals with the writing process and the opener “Battle of The Band” about the rigors of touring, has jangling guitar riffs that bring to mind REM, The Lemonheads and Wilco. Each song on this EP is a gem – my favorite being a wonderful song “(There’s) Something in The Air” about the Stanley Kubrick movie “The Shining” about a writer who wants to kill. The entire EP is listenable on My Space. I can’t wait for the full length.
My Space | CD Baby

The Smith Brothers “Lost”
The Smith Brothers are not the guys on a box of cough drops. It’s another group featured at Charlotte PopFest, and the Smith Brothers have a great classic power pop sound, very much like Teenage Fanclub or Cheap Trick. Pat Dollenmayer and Mike Clark have a true enthusiasm for the music, and it comes out in the opener “Lost” – a Teenage Fanclub styled slice of greatness. The classic guitar sounds continue on “Way We Know” another melodic fuzz covered gem. The pace slows down a bit for “Ducky” which goes for a classic Elvis Costello meets You Am I sound, with wonderful guitar solos and gentle harmonies. Elements of Fountains of Wayne are found in the songwriting style, and I picked this up on “Blame on You” and mid-tempo “Words Fail Me.” Another classic here is the bouncy “Addicted To You,” with Squeeze-like chordplay and vocal approach. No bad tracks, and you’ll surely get addicted to the music here. I hope these guys get bigger distribution, as this is a great CD that all power pop fans will love. A new disc this year is planned for spring — get this while you wait.
The Smith Bros. home | My Space | Indie Rock