Austin Sound

Texans take their country seriously, but in times when any pop song sung with an accent is labeled as country, there seems little left for enthusiasts of the genre. There still remains, however, a specific, unmistakable brand of the genre that belongs exclusively to the southwest. Laden with lap-steel guitar cries and lonesome harmonicas, the sound has become synonymous with Texas. When Frank Smith (“a band, not an artist,” as the boys proudly proclaim on their website and Myspace) relocated to Texas from Boston, they came with open eyes, and, most importantly, ears. Their fifth release, Big Strike in Silver City, is the culmination of the band’s two years spent in Austin and seals their initiation into Texas culture.

At its best, Big Strike in Silver City captures the very essence of raucous cowboy country and bars where boots are required dress code. But as the quartet strays into dark, screaming rock it is clear the Boston boys have not completely abandoned their old sound either. Unfortunately, the attempt to fuse those northern and southern influences never quite congeals into coherence for the album as a whole.

Big Strike in Silver City sticks largely with Frank Smith’s new genre forays in both sound and lyrics. “Highway Eyes” continues the country musician’s long-term love affair with the road, with a wandering, skillful lap-steel joined by lively acoustic guitar, making it an anthemic bar song that you expect to be followed with drunken cheers. “Leona” fulfills the obligatory southwestern jaded love ballad, but done in an upbeat fashion, managing to deliver the tears-in-your-beer lyrics against an upbeat musical backing. “Ruin Me” has a bright, recurring guitar-harmonica duet, coupled with heartbreaking confessions of loneliness.

The clear standout, is, unfortunately the first track, which sets too high of expectations for the rest of the album. “Put Me in a Hole” is an endlessly catchy alt. country jam that epitomizes the sound that Frank Smith has tried to achieve with Big Strike in Silver City. The lap-steel is assertive rather than drifting, with the harmonica leading the way as an isolated, lonesome call. Softened by subtle piano chords and a faint but present acoustic guitar, “Put Me in a Hole” is the kind of song that can still appeal to both the rock crowd and country music’s many skeptics.

Despite the notable first dabblings, Frank Smith lapses back into their old, harder sound in a handful of the songs and fail to pull off a successful merger between the two genres. After a deceiving harmonica beginning, “Let’s Die Tonight” digresses into a full out power chord frenzy with no warning. “Empty TV” makes no false attempts of giving the album continuity, and ends up as a passive, Nirvana-esque rock song. This back-and-forth throughout the record may not be as much a failed attempt at a fusion of two styles, but more simply a lack of accommodation to it all.

Frank Smith may not be a revolution to the established Austin alt. country scene, but they certainly remain a welcome addition. Their twangy, upbeat quality has the ability to dominate dancehalls, but the distinctive sound would perhaps be better undeterred by outbursts of their former style.

Mp3 from Big Strike in Silver City:
Put Me In a Hole

Websites:
http://franksmith.com
Myspace