Reviews:: Smothered In Hugs - The Healing Power Of Injury

If you happen to have a desire to constantly hear/write about new music, one of the more reliable resources has to be recommendations from artists themselves. Now granted, if someone named Larry is referring us to a group fronted by his brother Darryl and his other brother Darryl (word to Newhart), well then we take that with a grain of salt. But if a couple of bands you enjoy point you towards the same group, chances are you're on to something.

This is how we first became aware of the five-piece PEI powerhouse known as Smothered In Hugs. We first heard about SIH almost two years ago, after the Ack chatted with Alec from Two Hours Traffic, and he mentioned that these guys were possibly his favorite band. Since then we've gotten similar recommendations from other sources, PEI-based and otherwise, and we've seen the band perform for an incredibly appreciative crowd at the Seahorse here in Halifax, which left us anxious to sample some recorded output from the band. Well now we have, in the form of their first full-length album - the very satisfying The Healing Power of Injury - which had been available in limited quantities from the band since last year, but will be getting a full release next month (Feb 10th).

As one might surmise from their GBV-inspired band name, the Pavement reference in Chest Protection, and from Collagen Rock, the name of their newly formed label/collective/posse, the boys in Smothered In Hugs are enthusiasts of the sounds one might've found being pumped from a transistor dialed into CKDU in the late 80's-to-middle 90's. But that's not to say their sound is strictly reliant on college-rock revivalism. Producer Charles Austin has clearly helped the band find some common ground between the peppy indie-pop of Collagen Rock teammates like Two Hours Traffic and The Danks, and the reverb-drenched goodness of the throwback sounds the band is clearly fond of. Lyrically this album also feels very much of this time, with big shiny hooks juxtaposed against introspective lyrics focused on the highs and fears of the day-to-day.

The Healing Power of Injury does something that seems to be becoming a lost art - it starts strong - with the riffs and harmonic urgency found back-to-back on Blank Test and Ghost Believah. Visa Problems is just as catchy, but piano is added to the mix, and a different, yet welcome, take on the SIH sound emerges. At The Coast Check has more than enough pep to propell the indie kids onto the dancefloor, but also has the grit provided by feedback-fueled guitars to satisfy those not interested in shaking their skin-tight pants. The placement of Money Came Through, track seven of thirteen, makes sense as it feels kind of like the album's centerpiece - and if I remember correctly, it was the song sung with the most gusto by the crowd when we saw SIH live. And even though this album is a little longer than today's average release, with thirteen songs, things stay strong all the way through, with songs like Young Flare and Cut Loose holding their own on the back end.

So here's the deal, we're absolutely in the doldrums of winter now, and you're going to need some music to help you chase the chill from your bones. In my experience, there's no better perscription for that than some good old indie rock & roll, and The Healing Power of Injury is one of the better slices of indie rock that I've been served in recent months. So when February rolls around, get yourself ensconced, not in velvet (punny tv reference in intro - check, punny tv reference in outro - check), but in the goodness of Smothered In Hugs.

Labels: Canada, Music