Music
Review | Smile.DK - Golden Sky
Written by: Kage
Alan
Album
Rating: B+
Back by popular demand! Well, it seems that
Smile-dk's third album
demonstrates above all else that they are destined to remain happy
whether we
like it or not. Fortunately, we like it. The only
frustrating thing besides
constantly being put in a good mood when listening to their music is
finding
their music. Unfortunately (and I know there are a huge number
of Smile-dk
fans out there), their albums only seem to be available in Japan, Hong
Kong
and Sweden. However, if you're looking for a quick fix of
Veronica and
Malin, check out their website at www.smile-dk.com
and sample their latest
release. As for me, Christian Villum at T.G. Management was kind
enough to
forward a copy of the new album on to me (thanx Christian!).
Paying homage to their fans in Japan, "Golden Sky" starts
off with a huge
dance bang in the form of "Domo Domo Domo". Not only
is it written by
Smile-dk themselves (along with producer Robert Uhlmann), but the
chorus is
sung in Japanese. While a fun opening number, I found myself
much more
attracted to the next song, "Golden Sky" (yes, also the
title of the album).
There are shades from previous hits "Butterfly" and
"Dragonfly" that can be
heard in the song, but it's also different enough to give it a dance
flavor
entirely of its own making.
Moving right along is another major dance number called "Come
Chameleon". I swear, the first three songs on this album
could all be singles. Anyway, the
lyrics and music are all completely infectious and that, dear
listeners,
continues on with "Ding Ding Dong". No rain clouds to
be found here despite
what may sound like a silly title. "This Is The Time (Eoo
Eoo)" is the first
real change of pace on the album and has a similar slightly slower
Caribbean
beat that "Coconut" did on the first album. It's
quirky and fun, though.
The beat quickens back up with "Don't Believe You're
Leaving" and it's easily
becoming one of my favorites from the album along with "First
Time Lovers".
Smile-dk also wrote "I'll Be There" and it represents the
second change of
pace for songs on "Golden Sky". "Smile" (the
final song the group
contributed to in terms of lyrics and music) is a bit slower, yet
allows the
album to stretch a bit in music and vocals. "Maybe" is
the only ballad to be
found on the CD and it's a gorgeous track. I actually wish there
was more
like it included.
Okay, you've gotten the idea that "Golden Sky" is a dance
album and it does
succeed at being just that. While many of the songs are
extremely catchy and
lively, I found myself actually wanting to go back and listen to the
"Future
Girls" disc. Why? If there is something I wish was
different with this
third album, it's that the songs could be divided up a bit more with
breaks
in between the dance numbers. The pacing of the album doesn't
feel as
thought out as it did on the first two, but that's a minor
observation. At
10 songs, "Golden Sky" clocks in around 34 minutes and there
aren't any bonus tracks or remixes included. That's a shame
because their b-sides have been pretty decent and I imagine remixes
for "Golden Sky" and "Come Chameleon" would sound
incredible. We'll see what happens on their next album.
Now if only the girls would consider touring North America… In
the meantime, enjoy!
Related: Smile.Dk
- Smile (Album Review)
Smile.Dk - Future Girls (Album Review)
Exclusive Info from Smile.DK's Management [July 8th, 2002]
Exclusive Smile.DK Interview [Dec
10th, 2002]
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