Mr. Smolin
At Apogee
© 2004 Nomenclature Records (807207023029)
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Psychedelic Cabaret Music
tracks
- 1 At Apogee
- 2 Angels
- 3 The Rodeo
- 4 Casper
- 5 The Earth Keeps Turning On
- 6 Every Shepherd's Tongue
- 7 Lost In You
- 8 The Shaming Of The True
- 9 Dad Is Dead
- 10 Way Back In
- 11 I Will Be Home Soon
- 12 Take Me To The Wind
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Mr. Smolin is the performance moniker of Los Angeles songwriter Barry Smolin, aka Shmo. Best known as the longtime host of the psychedelic radio show The Music Never Stops on KPFK 90.7 FM in Southern California, Smolin has been writing songs for 25 years in a variety of genres, finally settling on a piano-based offbeat pop sound that reflects influences ranging from Stephen Foster and Hoagy Carmichael to poet-artists like Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen to singer-songwriters like Cat Stevens and Harry Nilsson and Elton John and David Bowie and Randy Newman and Tom Waits to pop eccentrics like Gilbert O'Sullivan and David Werner as well as theatre composers like Jerome Kern and Stephen Sondheim, among many others. Smolin's aesthetic, though, retains its own forward-thinking originality, with one foot in the avant-garde and one in Tin Pan Alley, stressing strong, memorable melodies and challenging, poetic lyrics. Smolin aspires to create artful music that is equally at home in nightclubs, on legitimate theatre stages, and wafting through the dankest bohemian loft-spaces. Village Voice music critic Richard Gehr has dubbed Smolin's style "psychedelic cabaret music."
The debut album by Mr. Smolin is entitled "At Apogee" and features vocal and musical contributions by producer Stew (creative genius behind the seminal L.A. pop band The Negro Problem) as well as performances by Stew's Negro Problem cohorts Heidi Rodewald and Josh Baldwin, singer/guitarist Harvey Canter of the psychedelic rock band Ruby Flux, the brilliant surf-noir outfit Double Naught Spy Car (Paul Lacques, Marc Doten, Marcus Watkins, and Joe Berardi), horn virtuoso Probyn Gregory (of Brian Wilson's band and The Wondermints), and television writer Seth Kurland (Mad About You, Friends, 8 Rules For Dating My Teenage Daughter).
reviews
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Mr. Smolin 'At Apogee' is amazing pop music for everyone.
author: Dave BeringerTrust me...over the past 34 years I’ve listened to a lot of recorded pop music new & old and every few years I discover an artist’s music that amazes me. Years ago I would occasionally hear incredibly fantastic music while dreaming only to awake & not be able to remember details of what I had heard. Found within ‘At Apogee’ by the band Mr. Smolin(Barry Smolin) are magnificent songs I might have imagined in a dream except in this case it’s real. The songs seem to emerge out of nowhere, flow together like a song cycle, and resonate more and more with each repeated listen. The vocals sound unaffected, the melodies haunt, and the lyrics are laced with existentialism, juxtaposition, allusion, and metaphor. The arrangements are spellbinding. I agree with virtually all of the reviews of ‘At Apogee’ found at: http://mrsmolin.com/reviews.phpg so I won’t repeat any of those comments here. The only exception is that, unlike a couple reviewer’s comments, I think Barry’s ‘everyman’ style lead vocals on ‘At Apogee’ are part of what makes this recording so special & contrast nicely with the more sophisticated subject matter and arrangements. Whether the musicians on this recording realize it or not, Mr. Smolin has created a musical masterpiece that should provoke & challenge all those who aspire to express themselves via pop music. Whether the world realizes it or not, great music(like beauty) is where you find it. It’s rumored that Mr. Smolin is in the process of recording a new record in which case that’s one highly anticipated release.
Spooky and joyous chamber pop with expansive lyrics bathed in symphonic soundsca
author: Lint ButtonI have no idea who this Mr. Smolin is, but a friend of mine passed the CD on to me because he knew i was a fan of The Negro Problem/Stew (the eccentric indie pop gentleman who produced the record.) He figured that i'd dig it and boy was he right. Mr. Smolin writes expansive songs filled to the gills with heady thought provoking lyrics. Add to the mix Stew's sparkling production/arrangements and the fine playing of the many many guests that appear throughout At Apogee. What comes out is an incredibly melodic song cycle that explores longing, language, death, joy, and a bajillion other emotions characters and situations over the course of its 66 minute running time. Thank goodness that there are fearless independent artists such as Mr. Smolin to give us detention. 4.5 stars.