Review of Smilex's CD "Mystique / Sex 4 Sale"

Smilex: Mystique / Sex 4 Sale

Smilex are from Oxford. They're inventive and spirited and should do a fizzing stir-fry of set at the Royal Park Cellars when they come to Leeds on November 1st. "Mystique" is the top song. It rips of with a disabled version of the Las' Big Riff and stutters along with totally convincing Make-Up style vocals and some punky rhythm section mayhem. It even hurls in one of those screaming naddler naddler naddler naddler four triplets to the bar "hey I can really play the guitar!" lines. Excellent.

After that things wander off in the general direction of the Rock Hall of Shame with plenty to listen to along the way. I find myself thinking "This isn't bad" but it could easily come from a South Park episode with Sex 4 Sale's slightly infantile sexy poo poo lyrics. "Piece of your ass" and "foxy lady" are pretty much beyond parody or irony these days ... it just sounds a bit dumb. US hip hop pimp-a-long stuff has seriously torched anyone else's attempts at depravity shock value. But the three remaining tracks make the point that the band really have got loads of good ideas and styles and that they have the bottle to chuck 'em all into the set. They call themselves glam/punk/rock but ignore that. They're Nu Metal with a bit of sleaze worn right there on the sleeve, a great vocalist in Lee Christian and some serious potential on the ideas front. When they stop trying to be nearly as good as Marilyn Mansun they should be pretty damn good in their own right.

Lyric Alert: one line gets a massive 10 out of 10 on the Totally Shit Use of Americana Scale with "They smacked my ass / and sent me out of class" or something similar. I mean just how many teachers in Oxford smack asses? Are we talking donkeys or arses? Either way it sounds illegal rather than spiteful.

• www.smilex.co.uk

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