smile brigade

Smile Brigade is a Lite-Blue collared Democracy. They have been making things happen all along the west coast for decades now. The music is a refreshing mixture of light and dark shades. Calvin Johnson (Beat Happening, K records, Dub narcotic sound-system) guest-sings on "DYCHO?" track "Rims on The Bus" adding "little baby christ die" as a logical lyrical improv to a track that, in a very elementary way, takes on difficult adult themes such as a human's thirst for oil, sending children to war and inflating gas prices. As a whole, the album is not overtly political but lyrically provokes thought from those with a thirst for true blood.



"Do You Come Here Often?" has a lushness and familiarity that belies the simplicity and originality of the compositions. It draws from influences as disparate as John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band all the way down the line to Magnetic Fields with a vigorous dash of 60z "beat" groups for good measure.



Smile Brigade is into simplicity; a strong melody, a good hook and the knack for putting it all together.



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What The People Are Saying



“These tunes are a blend of enjoyable pop music that, in some camps, could almost fall into the folk-pop Wilco-like category” –Fense/Fensepost.com



“The group makes sweet sounds that are definitely something to expose those pearly whites for. The album ranges from distorted heavy rockers infused with sweet vocals to poppy numbers that are sure to put a wry grin on your face.” -Philip Fairbanks/adequacy.net



“Smile Brigade has been honing their particular brand of pop music—

which manages to be dark and sardonic, yet breezy and fun at the same time.” –Levi Slade/thestranger.com



“combining classic vocal harmonies with rougher arrangements, with the occasional sparkling



surprise.” -Ned Ragget/allmusic.com



“Wrapped in a blanket of aptly distorted interlude mini-songs, this album is set pretty comfortably in a bed of hazy guitars and sigh filled vocals. This could get any coffee drinking college kid swaying to the sound of its light structure and relevant lyrics. Following an almost folk format, SB is able to create some pretty lucid dream-like serenades with chorus vocals and abound acoustical fortitude.” -Pernell/skylinepress.net



“J. Hiram Boggs lends his rich vocals-a slight growl at times recalling John Mellencamp and, at others, Jeff Tweedy-easily to the countrified ballads, but it's on the piano-and-reverb-drenched "Distorted Ivory Coast" and "Devastating" where his voice truly impresses. Boggs' vocals bridge the rift between the experimental and the traditional, making otherwise out-of-place songs fit in perfectly." -Katie Sauro/Seattle Sound Magazine



"This hazy indie-pop band from Seattle have the ability to give every song it's own little twist while keeping a constant smile on their listeners' face. Dig Smile Brigade live on KEXP."-W. Myers/KEXP 90.3 FM



live show @ the Paradox w/ A. Luxem on bass and Charlie Walsh on percussion



Busking in the streets of Little Tokyo, LA before our show at the Cocaine. Fun times



order the album on vinyl by clicking the go metric! logo