Last Year, I discovered The Smivets completely by surprise and reviewed the Mountain Highway album here. It was an album that came from nowhere on a new artist site that I had never visited before and is so good that it made the Best 100 Albums Of The Year.
The Smivets are a one man affair, Uttoxeter's Steve Smith who describes himself as a music dabbler. You really would think this is a group, it so well performed, arranged and produced. How We Fade shows that Mountain Highway was no flash in the pan.
This is glorious Rock, genre defying rock, largely 70s orientated and covering everything from Pop Rock to Classic Rock and all in between. Not only is it instrumentally ace, but the album is incredibly lyrically adept and it is the genre crossing that adds to the interest.
The opener, Galaxies, is awesome blasting through Indie Rock, Psych, Prog and Melodic Rock. Keep The Change is another monster affair, this time more of a Classic Rock bent. To The Fires is top notch Prog whilst England Sleeps is West Coast Rock as if it were performed by Lindisfarne.
Alpha Male Arse borders on Psych Rock, yet My Car's A New Pair Of Shoes is closest to Merseybeat. Cutting The Cord is more getting it together in the country late 60s Rock. Tulip sounds more than a little Gabriel era Genesis, although acoustically so.
How We Fade is a crackerjack of an album. It is a Rock album and not all of our followers lean towards something so Classic Rock. But this is such an inventive and well put together that it just demands your attention. 2 out of 2 in the IDHAS Best Of Years methinks.
You can listen to and buy the album here.
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