The Great American Smokeout

May 17, 2007

When I received the Dear and the Headlights album (which is fantastic) from Equal Vision it was packaged with an album from the band, The Snake The Cross The Crown. Judging from Equal Vision’s punk/hardcore-heavy catalog and the odd band name, I figured it wasn’t something I’d be interested in. After going in with those expectations, I was completely surprised at how much I enjoyed the album (titled Cotton Teeth) and completely relieved that the music fell more towards indie rock, folk, and Americana.

“The Great American Smokeout” is the name of the second track, and it starts like many of the tracks on the album, with a catchy acoustic melody before adding vocals, piano, a shuffling drum beat. The vocals are one of the strongest parts of the band, the singer has that quivering baritone thing down very well, but the well-polished guitar work is the real star of the show. The acoustic sets the pace for many of the songs while the electric comes storming in at the end. This is best exemplified by “Gyspy Melodies”, which after an ominous opening goes into one of the most exhilirating and uplifiting endings I’ve heard this year with the repeating line of “Lead the way, and we’ll all go home”.

The album is very consistent throughout with the gospel-like “Behold The River” and the epic “Electronic Dream Plant” providing further highlights. If you’re like me and you really enjoy the following two tracks, there’s no reason you shouldn’t seek out the rest of Cotton Teeth.

MP3 The Great American Smokeout
MP3 Gypsy Melodies

The Snake The Cross The Crown The Myspace

Posted by Taylor in Artist Spotlight