Since 1997 Smartguy Records has been releasing a veritable banquet of styles and genres.
U.S. labels seem more comfortable releasing a spectrum of sounds. Don’t get me wrong, this is not a pigeonholing of European imprints. It just seems that American labels are more willing to put out a buffet of genres. San Francisco’s Smartguy Records fit under this rainbow umbrella. Since 1997 the Pacific South West imprint has been releasing a veritable banquet of styles and genres. So what have the most recent delights been?
Most recently Boomgates offered up a two track 7 incher of soul filled rock. The tracks have a clean aspect to them, toeing the line of punk without crossing over into double tantrum angst. If you’re after some real punk action, don’t worry you don’t have to go far. The Vermin Poets, with their self-titled EP, will satisfy the needs of the punk zealot with a touch of folk included.
On the other side of the fence is Australia’s Total Control, a synth pop outfit, with Paranoid Video. The title track is a well-produced piece of New Wave with a post-punk edge. An almost Atari melody passes though strong vocals and a relentless beat which has a stripped Soft Metals feel to it. The flip, “Real Estate,” is a stylish piece of coarse homemade synth. The track is fed with distortion and dissected by a clean shaven synth chord.
The latest comes from Rat Columns and once again the self-starter style, that pervades the label’s music, is present. The sound is somewhere on the indie spectrum. A drum machine sometimes employed, with some analogue lines coming through. There is a soft, almost breathy, quality to the 7”. That isn’t to say everything is light and lovely, with distorted coils helping add some leaden skies to the proceedings. “Glass Coffin,” for example, is anything but carefree—a brooding and dark piece.
The above is but a taster of what this seriously diverse label has been up to. If you’re after Garage Rock—you’ll get it here. Punk—you’ll get it here. Even a bit of Synth Wave—you’ll get it here. The label has a similar feel to Blind Prophet; delving into divergent sounds and coming up with some real treats. Looking for something new, or want to get in touch with an old flame, Smartguy can probably hook you up.
All releases are available on Smartguy.
