The first time I heard this band, I thought they were the Christian rip-off of Screeching Weasel. But after hearing this full length I decided that they sound less like Screeching Weasel (with the exception of the song "Love Your Enemies", is Ben Weasel singing on that song?), and more like just about every other rough sounding punk rock band out there. They don't have quite the pop feel that bands like MxPx, and Blink 182 have, and they are not as rough sounding as the Crucified and Ninety Pound Wuss. From the CD artwork and some of the lyrics they seem like they would be pretty funny guys, and I would assume they put on a live set that is full of energy, and fun. But at this point that will just have to be an assumption since I have yet to see this band live. Pretty much all their songs are Christian based in their lyrical content. Nothing really deep, but topics such as loving your enemies, swearing, helping each other out, Jesus as our shrink, and scoring goals as opposed to drugs. If all of their songs were like "Plants are Dying", and "Always OK", I think I could really get into this band, but the sloppy sounding punk rock songs, I could do without.
C
Other coverage for this album
Decapolis 2000Reviewed by ConradThe Smiley Kids are rough punk. Poppy melodies with gritty vocals and fast beats (more old school than the new school hyper beats). If you mixed the first Crucified album with the first Ninety Pound Wuss album and a little bit of Operation Ivy at points - you might get something that resembled this band. After a horrendous start where they play a little and have some adult complain about their…Decapolis 2000Reviewed by TimThe production of this album is great. A lot of punk albums have really low budgets, so it is nice to hear one that is actually recorded well. The problem is that this band doesn't need a good recording. It is straight forward new school punk with hardly any variation in guitar or drums. This album would have probably been good 5 years ago, but for now, it seems overdone. CHM Magazine #79Reviewed by Doug Van PeltThese kids fill up this disc with tons o fun. It starts off with a hilarious dramatization about some angry neighbors, who tell the rehearsing band to, "turn it down!" While fun to listen to, the music is nothing to laugh at. Those of you who heard the single "Fill The Gaps" from last issue's HM Hard Music Sampler CD will be able to attest that these four guys can lay down some hefty sounds. The…The Phantom Tollbooth 1999Reviewed by Josh SpencerSeems Sarabellum Recordings is moving well away from their modern rock label origins, with swing band the W's and ska/punk delight Five Iron Frenzy as their flagship bands now. The next step would be a punk band, and Smiley Kids fits the bill (being friends of Five Iron didn't hurt). There was no doubt it would be quality punk, but the worst cover art known to man almost threw me off when the…Similar sounding releases
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