“Hello there ladies and gentlemenâ€. The obligatory Beatsteaks introduction song, ‘Big Attack’, kicks in with slightly less rock than the last two albums (‘Panic’ in particular will never be bettered as an album opener) but instantly, you can tell who this and just about what to expect.
Or can you? ‘Smack Smash’ is the Beatsteaks third Epitaph released record, and they appear to have finally found their feet in terms of style and musical direction. If ‘Launched’ was the sound of a highly talented band brimming with energy and invention, ‘Living Targets’ was the sound of that band expanding their arsenal and dipping their toes into previously uncharted pools of influence. ‘Smack Smash’ is the natural progression of this cycle. More rock and roll than punk or hardcore, over the course of eleven songs, the band rarely lower their standards, hitting the listener with anthemic rock slabs one after the other.
This record just flows perfectly. It is a testament to a bands ability when the slower, more measured numbers hold the attention just as much, if not more, than the energy filled rock songs. ‘I Don’t Care As Long As You Sing’ slips into pseudo-reggae mode but manages to avoid sounding contrived, instead demanding you sway along to it’s bass driven tempo. ‘What’s Coming Over You’ is as close to a ballad as you’re going to get, with melancholic clean guitar down strokes dictating the pace and Arnim’s unique vocals crooning over the top. And that’s just the two ‘slow’ ones!
‘Hand In Hand’ has one of the catchiest melodies I’ve heard this year and is a perfect choice for a single, ‘Everything’ slips seamlessly from dirty rock and roll in the verse to poppy rock in the chorus and ‘Hello Joe’, despite being a great song in it’s own right, wins points for it’s Joe Strummer influenced lyricism. In fact, the Clash influence is so prominent on this record, you could be forgiven for thinking the Beatsteaks were their long lost German cousins. This, in case you were wondering, is a very, very good thing indeed.
With huge chunks of the Clash, nods to the Swedish rock and roll of the Hives, D.O.L.L and the like and even elements of the Strokes thrown into the Beatsteaks sound, there’s something here to entice any lover or good fucking rock music. While the album obviously doesn’t live up to the amazingly high standards set by the bands live show, it’s an almost worthy substitute. The Beatsteaks have hit their stride, and only time will tell whether they achieve the recognition they deserve in countries other than Germany.
Ross