Seems 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 disc reached my hands. Don't be fooled, though--Smiley Kids have the goods.
Don't Get Bored is a perfect title, with the band cranking out a hyperactive mix of old school and new school, with a tiny bit of horn-less ska and hardcore/thrash thrown in for kicks. I haven't heard this much variety on a punk album in awhile, and yet they somehow retain a consistent sound. The vocals are mostly rough and loose, jumping from clean "whoa-oh-oh"s to aggressive shouts to scratchy surf-punk rhymes.
Lyrics leap back and forth between fun-loving junior high type stuff and more serious straight-up calls to dedication and allegiance to Christ. Of the former, there's two, count 'em, two tributes to skateboarding, in "Alameda Hill" and "Bomb the Hill" ("everybody scream real loud, the secret word is SKATE!"). The Christian anthems like "Fill the Gaps (Foundation)," "Army of Light," and "Useless," are definitely the strongest and tightest songs on the album, making up for what they lack in lyrical creativity with power and soaring spirit in the choruses. "Imitation Cross" also pounds nicely as a hardcore tune slamming man-made religion.
Old punk fans like me might wish all the songs were of the tighter new school variety, having been through the old days and appreciating better songs and musicianship now, but Smiley Kids is made for all those spastic punk kids in danger of the ultimate evil: boredom. That's who will really dig this album. Skate for Jesus! ;-)
3.5 tocks
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. CHM Magazine #79Reviewed by Doug Van PeltThese 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…Similar sounding releases
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