Customer Reviews

She Like Electric

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(13)

 

 

As long as these girls don't get caught up in the Disney manufactured pop B.S. (Oh, they will be calling I'm sure) then they will have an incredible impact on great music, hopefully they stay with indie music. Fortunately, in one of the interviews with their parents, it sound like they are writing/playing for the right reasons. And one the girls said they didn't like "Britney Spears type music." Score one for the good guys.

As for the album, it's good music, with mentors like Jason McGerr(Death Cab For Cutie drummer, he taught Chloe how to drum) this duo is only going to get better, with great indie-bands to draw/learn from in Seattle. Can be childish at times(duh), but their musicianship is second to none, considering their age... but I wont patronize them on their age, they deserve better than that, for I would rather listen to Smoosh than 99% of popular rock bands today. Some songs do really stand out, like "It's Cold" "Pygmy Motorcycle" "La Pump" and "Make it through."

To hear some fresh, none-lamenting pure indie-pop, from two borderline prodigical preteens girls, get the album, you won't be disappointed.

What were you doing at age 10-12 years old?

Mozart. Stevie Wonder. Michael Jackson.

As long as popular music has existed, there have been child prodigies. Smoosh is the latest in this long line. Smoosh, however, is unique in that they are the first child prodigies in the "indie rock" movement.

I was introduced to Smoosh by an NPR piece on them and I immediately bought this CD. Astounding. This is my new favorite band, I'm not kidding. You will get this CD because of the interesting story, you will leave it in your CD player because it's so damn good. You quickly forget you are listening to two children - you are listening to Bjork or PJ Harvey or Juliana Hatfield at twelve (I know, by the way, that Bjork actually did release an album when she was eleven, although I've never heard it).

Possibly the best thing about this album is that these kids are their own songwriters. So they're not singing some grown-ups version of what kids would sing about, they're not singing above their age level. These are amazingly-well constructed songs, written squarely from the point of view of a (and I hate this word but don't know how else to say it) prepubescent girl. What's amazing is how articulately Asya and Chloe express this point of view.

"Everybody are you feeling bad today?/'Cause maybe you should be a little happier/...see I'm helping you/If you're mad, if you're sad/to feel happy." from their "rap" song, "Rad." Then she sings about joining a soccer team!

This is pure fun and pure talent. One of the best albums of 2004. No kidding.

Don't let the age of these girls (10 and 12) fool you...Smoosh is a seriously good band bound to appeal to any fans of indie rock...the sound is reminiscent of Juliana Hatfield back in her days with the Blake Babies...the driving piano recalls another piano and drum based band, Suddenly Tammy...and the frequent changes in time signature and tempo show an aptitude for music far beyond their years and often not experimented with even by more mature and seasoned musicians. Some tracks (It's Cold, Pygmy Motorcycle, La Pump, Make it Through) shine more than others, but overall "She Like Electric" makes for a truly memorable, delightful and entertaining listen that you'll find yourself wanting to repeat over and over. So play the album out of curiosity, but keep listening because it's genuinely great!

If I wanted to do so, writing a bad review of Smoosh's debut would be a little like kicking a kitten. After all, it's made up of talented pre-teens who make very enthusiastic indiepop; they aren't prodigies, but they show the sort of talent that might make them a hit someday.

Fortunately these two girls don't warrant anything so mean in their debut, "She Like Electric." They won't be mistaken for Goldfrapp anytime soon, but they're pleasant to listen to -- charming keyboard melodies, solid drumming, all wrapped up in some genuinely little catchy songs, edged with rock'n'roll.

"She Like Electric" does have some missteps -- "It's Not Your Day To Shine" has a bit too many vocal frills, giving it a sugary feel. And don't rap about people being happy, girls. You cannot yet pull it off, rapping about soccer teams and adding on "uh-huh, uh-huh, yo, guys!" Uh huh, uh huh... nuh oh, nuh oh. Sorry, it does not work.

At first listen, listeners may shy away from 12-year-old vocalist's voice. I've heard too many little girls singing poorly, too. However, Asya has a good voice, and a good idea of how to use it; she doesn't overreach herself in most of the songs. Despite the "young" quality of her voice, she has some of the vocal quirks and tricks down. In songs like "About the Picture," Asya's voice shows unusual purity and prettiness that may well get even better as she grows up.

Musically, the girls -- who apparently wrote it all themselves -- show remarkable skill. Asya has a knack with the keyboards, producing winding video-game grooves and grinding bass-like noise. And her sister Chloe (aged ten) shows considerable skill as a drummer.

If you don't take their ages into consideration, Smoosh is a passable indiepop band with some real talent and moments of potential genius. It just needs some years to grow and mature. Good luck, girls.

Bands are getting younger and younger these days. Smoosh is two sisters from Seattle who are ten and twelve years old. Their names are Asya and Chloe. With their combined ages, they are still younger than Joanna Newsom. The music is just as amazing. Asya sings and plays keyboards. Chloe plays drums. ROCKRGRL talks about Smoosh in this way: "Imagine a stripped-down version of the first side of Pet Sounds (before Brian Wilson gets cynical) and you have some clue to Smoosh's sound. Musically they more than hold their own." Their effortless talent and imagination is astounding. This is a band that relies on instinct and plays music because it is fun. They are unaffected by the demands of indie cool. They are precocious and make most bands look lazy and contrived.

The music of Smoosh seems to be a quick digest of punk rock, rap music, ballads, and no wave. They are like Kate Bush or Cat Power if they had done a multi-genre record in their pre-teens. Smoosh is living the dream of any teenager who banged on a Casio and had dreams of playing support with Pearl Jam. Not only has Smoosh played with Pearl Jam, Cat Power, but also with Death Cab For Cutie, Sleater-Kinney and Rilo Kiley.

Smoosh started about four years ago, when Chloe's drum teacher, Jason McGerr, the drummer of Death Cab for Cutie, suggested that she start playing along with others, the better to understand the role of the instrument in a rock band. Her sister just happened to have some songs and energy. Years later their demo got around and was played on the radio station KEXP. Soon they were signed to record label Pattern 25. Their album came out in September 2004. I spoke to them on the phone during a lull before touring and recording their second album. I had to call them at 4pm because they didn't get home from school before then.

Their album, She Like Electric is out now. There have been rave reviews in Blender, Tigerbeat, and Alt Press. Their album was The Village Voice's #1 most overlooked record of 2004. Look for the band on the cover of magazines and TV this Spring. They are going to be on CNN with Wolf Blitzer very soon. Get this!

Phenomenal! Prodigious talent that throws into sharp relief a lot of wannabe indy musical artists out there. Don't let their age (10 and 12) stereotype your expectations. This ain't the kid group formula our entertainment industry has weened us on. Smoosh is pure, raw, unbridled talent in sad short supply in our mainstream media manipulated world. The complexity of the tunes is only astonishing in the context of their age. After their advanced modal shifts and tempo changes have you pondering the possibilities of reincarnation, the tunes'll have you absorbed in their depth diggin' that 'She Like Electric'!

I am 50 yrs. old -- just to tell you this is not "teeny-bop", or only for pre-teens, or something ridiculous like that. I first read about Smoosh about 2 weeks ago in a Spin magazine. I am entranced with She Like Electric. Every word of the reviews above are true, true, true. I listen to this CD every day, at least twice. Really! The energy, variety, the voices, the rhythm, the drums, the singing, the lyrics. A PERFECT cd. Not like so many releases with 3 songs you really like, and the rest dross. I haven't been thrilled with an entire CD, without exception, for years. I listen to a LOT of music, of all kinds, including plenty of new stuff, and this is something authentic, remarkable, and new. I CANNOT wait for their next release. Don't deprive yourself of this experience/event. It's not like anything else.

This CD is magic! It's magic because the girls churned out a DIY recording that hasn't been molded by any huge record labels "machine". I hope Asya & Chloe just keep up what they've been doing for almost a year or more now and that is making fun enjoyable Indie-Pop/Rock that has been attracting huge crowds, young & old, to their shows. I'm curious to see where they go in the years ahead.

I have seen them play now a handful of times, & this week they played twice, once at the Showbox in Seattle 1/12/05 opening for MXPX and PUSA, & again 2 days later at the Sunset Tavern for the Pattern25 showcase. The Showbox set was good but not quite what they were at the Showbox on December 15th, -Chloe was incredible that night. The Tavern show was a happening with 5 other bands from the label. Smoosh played the third set at 10:45pm and the Tavern was packed to capacity by then. Asy intro'd a new song that was as strong as the material on "She like Electric" or better, It was bouncy and heavier-but I forget the name. Anyway, GO SEE SMOOSH LIVE!!! Asy has a voice that's fresh & she sounds younger than 12. Chloe bangs the drum like a pro and harmonizes with her sister on "The Quack" and "Bottlenose". During the live set, Chloe's high pitched scream, during the chorus of "Bottlenose", is far out! -great live song.

I recently purchased the Japan import CD which includes 1 bonus song "Inner to the Outer" another strong track thats generously filled with Asya's Oooh's, Aaah's & Whoa's -so common in pop-songs she has created a groove unique to her. A satisfying end to a beautiful recording. It also has a full lyric sheet which puts an end to the lyric guessing.

Oh yeah, *** GO SEE SMOOSH LIVE ***
-Thanks for signing my CD girls .. You are Rock Stars!!!

I think the reason why this album has gotten reviews so polarized on opposite sides is a matter of taste. The truth is, that if you listen Avril, Ashlee, Gwen, or even those mass produced "punk" bands permeating our music today, you probably won't like this. For Smoosh, like Bjork or Portishead, isn't for everyone, and is if nothing else is a bit of an acquired taste in music. So either you get it (if you're predisposed to the whole trip-hopish genre) or you don't (if you prefer easier understanding, unchallanging, standard music). Cheers to broadminded music lovers everywhere!

The pure innocence of this project is most appealing. In a day & age when provocative images and negative messages prevail in music, Smoosh are very refreshing. But never mind that, these girls ROCK! Highlights for me are "Pygmy Motorcycle," which demonstrates solid, sophisticated song writing, "Make it Through," a brilliant catchy single, and "The Quack," a playful creative cut that just makes you smile. The entire album shines, but I just decided to highlight a few personal favorites. Smoosh are extremely talented, fun, and passionate. The older you are, the further back they take you to a day when life was more simple and fun. The song writing is even better on the 2nd album, but this is an incredible debut. Good show, girls!