One-sentence reviews #8

Jay-Z almost made an appearance here but I need at least two paragraphs for that one.

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Smith Westerns
Soft Will (2013)
(Mom + Pop)

After a while, all the '70s riffs and the endless parade of hooks far too closely resemble consuming excessive amounts of cotton candy, like the Cars without the compensatory sublime popcraft; the songs just aren't tight enough for that kind of stunt, nor is the performing, but it'll sink right into the buzzy background at a backyard barbecue or whatever.

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The Apples in Stereo
Fun Trick Noisemaker (1995)
(SpinART)

RECOMMENDED
Basically coming off as a friendlier Neutral Milk Hotel, this extremely lo-fi debut record gives little hint of the playfulness that Robert Schneider would soon expose (despite its now-trademarked use of bizarre stock spoken-word recordings), but its melodic, fuzz-heavy constructions are certainly fun, if repetitive (and "Glowworm" is their best early song).