Looking at the cover for Songs for a Sinking Ship by April Smith and the Great Picture Show, I felt like I had stepped back in time. Most of the bands I listen to nowadays take the extreme minimalist approach when it comes to packaging and design for their albums, so just looking at this antique cover was a refreshing change. Designed by photographer and artist Matt Hoyle, it recalls days gone by, when you’d head to the summer agricultural fair and your long-suffering mother would pay someone to photograph your head peeking out from behind a cardboard cutout of some nonsensical scene. Opening the gatefold, you get a load of the band members perched precariously on their instruments or baggage and April Smith herself sitting on a wooden raft. And is that the Titanic half underwater behind Ms. Smith? Quite possibly…
I only bring this up because the attention to detail taken for the cover design provides insight into how I imagine the album was recorded. You can feel it in your bones how lovingly each of these 11 tracks was put together. Also consider that the album was entirely financed by the generosity of Smith’s fans – pretty impressive. Had this dance pop fan read the depiction of the album describing it as “sassy pop music informed by the ’30s and ’40s, juke joints and cabaret, the Andrews Sisters, and Tom Waits,” I may not have given it a second glance.
With the piano and ukulele effects and string, brass and handclap flourishes used so effectively throughout, I could not help but love this album. To the casual listener, yes, it does sound antiquated. With ragtime piano-playing and trumpeting (at the start of “Can’t Say No” for example), you may feel like you’ve gotten lost in a New Orleans parlor of a bygone era. But sometimes one needs to step back and appreciate what music sounds like without serious electronic intervention. This is honest music recorded without the benefit of auto-tune and other all too commonly used production crutches.
One of the best moments on the album is the superb opening track, “Movie Loves a Screen.” Smith’s winsome declaration “I just want to mean something to you…” showcases her gorgeous, lilting voice. Smith also does whimsical cynicism very well with the coy yet forceful “Drop Dead Gorgeous,” dripping with sarcasm: “Is there anything going on in that pretty little head? / If you’re just drop dead gorgeous / you should just drop dead.” Smith is obviously bitter about falling for some cute but emotionally unavailable cad. Seriously, what woman can’t commiserate?
The album’s journey through Smith’s emotions, ranging from jealousy (“Dixie Boy”) to joyful self-confidence (“Stop Wondering”), allows for Smith’s remarkable vocal range and songwriting prowess to shine. Clocking in at less than 35 minutes, Songs for a Sinking Ship is an all too brief introduction into Smith’s emotional world. With Smith at the helm, I predict – and hope – that this ship will be seaworthy for a long time to come.
Track Listing:
01. Movie Loves A Screen
02. Terrible Things
03. Drop Dead Gorgeous
04. Can’t Say No
05. What’ll I Do?
06. Colors
07. Dixie Boy
08. The One That Got Away
09. Beloved
10. Wow and Flutter
11. Stop Wondering
Songs for a Sinking Ship will be released on February 23 and can be preordered at the band’s official website. Smith and her band are currently on tour through to the middle of February with Langhorne Slim. They will join up with London-based folk/pop outfit Fanfarlo for a West Coast tour through to the end of the month.
Tour Dates
Feb 08 – Casbah / San Diego*
Feb 10 – Hi Dive / Denver*
Feb 11 – Record Bar / Kansas City, KS*
Feb 12 – Off Broadway / St. Louis*
Feb 13 – Summit / Columbus*
Feb 22 – Great American Music Hall / San Francisco#
Feb 23 – Doug Fir / Portland#
Feb 24 – Crocodile Café / Seattle#
Feb 25 – Knitting Factory / Spokane#
Feb 27 – Urban Lounge / Salt Lake City#
Feb 28 – Larimer Lounge / Denver#
* with Langhorne Slim
# with Fanfarlo
April Smith and the Great Picture Show: website | myspace
April Smith and the Great Picture Show will be starting on a new tour of the U.S. next week. This includes two dates with the Honey Brothers.
