John's Track of the Week: "Be My Girl"

Song: Be My Girl
Artist: The Smith Westerns
Album: The Smith Westerns
Year: 2009

No, I'm not talking about this as a new track. Just felt like chronicling a song I've been enjoying as of late. As you all are aware, I don't always have the time to preview absolutely everything before it comes out, so the result is featuring songs in "Track of the Week," etc. To start, nobody really knows all that much about The Smith Westerns. This year's self-titled effort is their first album, they're from Chicago and they're fans of art, the 1960s and Nirvana. However, I find their classic outlook, and hopeless romanticism a bit refreshing to be honest. Is it cliche to act like it's the 1960s? Perhaps. But, the band does it with full knowledge of that fact, which may make it okay. Are you lost yet?

"Be My Girl" exemplifies these aspects to a tee. The title alone screams either Jet or Frankie Valli, both of whom could easily evoke a retro vibe. Instead of a mainstream pop approach though, The Smith Westerns embraces a sort of underground garage pop, mixed with some noise. Still, strong melodies are not only present, but very much the standout of both this song and the record as a whole. It's not swagger that gets them by here-- the confidence that could only come from years of experience-- but instead, how badly they want what they don't have, and how their youth may cloud their judgment of its necessity. Wrap that up in some fuzz, and there you have it: The Smith Westerns in a nutshell. Maybe you'll enjoy as much as I have. The track below is courtesy of Pitchfork.

"Be My Girl"- The Smith Westerns