These kids fill up this disc with tons o fun. It starts off with a hilarious dramatization about some angry neighbors, who tell the rehearsing band to, "turn it down!" While fun to listen to, the music is nothing to laugh at. Those of you who heard the single "Fill The Gaps" from last issue's HM Hard Music Sampler CD will be able to attest that these four guys can lay down some hefty sounds. The gang vocals and tasty distorted guitars remind me of The Blamed. Smiley Kids are into diversity, though. "Plants Are Dying" sounds wo-oh-oh-so close to The Ramones, while "Frowney Clowney" flirts with ska upbeats. The guitar in "Love Your Enemies" even takes an emo and melodic rock approach, while the vocals could be more associated with pop punk. Comparisons to Dogwood would not be too far off here. In light of all the fun and diversity are some heartfelt lyrics. Calls to unity, love, perseverance and pure speech comfortably find themselves alongside an invitation to skateboard down a killer hill. These guys are fun, and they're the real deal.
Other coverage for this album
Decapolis 2000Reviewed by ConradThe Smiley Kids are rough punk. Poppy melodies with gritty vocals and fast beats (more old school than the new school hyper beats). If you mixed the first Crucified album with the first Ninety Pound Wuss album and a little bit of Operation Ivy at points - you might get something that resembled this band. After a horrendous start where they play a little and have some adult complain about their…Decapolis 2000Reviewed by Tom BastianThe first time I heard this band, I thought they were the Christian rip-off of Screeching Weasel. But after hearing this full length I decided that they sound less like Screeching Weasel (with the exception of the song "Love Your Enemies", is Ben Weasel singing on that song?), and more like just about every other rough sounding punk rock band out there. They don't have quite the pop feel that…Decapolis 2000Reviewed by TimThe production of this album is great. A lot of punk albums have really low budgets, so it is nice to hear one that is actually recorded well. The problem is that this band doesn't need a good recording. It is straight forward new school punk with hardly any variation in guitar or drums. This album would have probably been good 5 years ago, but for now, it seems overdone. CThe Phantom Tollbooth 1999Reviewed by Josh SpencerSeems Sarabellum Recordings is moving well away from their modern rock label origins, with swing band the W's and ska/punk delight Five Iron Frenzy as their flagship bands now. The next step would be a punk band, and Smiley Kids fits the bill (being friends of Five Iron didn't hurt). There was no doubt it would be quality punk, but the worst cover art known to man almost threw me off when the…Similar sounding releases
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