Review: Smerz’s Innovative Urban Sound — Incorporating Layered Vocals and Synth-Infused Guitars
The piece by Shaad D’Souza captured the innovative approach of a Norwegian electronic music duo in the club music realm, while Hayley Scott delved into the disorienting and fragmented nature of their work. Upon listening to Smerz’s album, “Big City Life,” I found that the descriptions fell short of encapsulating the depth and complexity of their music. The duo’s distinctive songwriting style, coupled with robust 4/4 rhythms and synth-modeled guitars, evoked a profound sense of nostalgia that harkened back to the unconventional techniques of Gentle Giant.
The polyphonic structure of their music is intricate yet accessible, employing concise musical phrases and harmonies that remain constant, containing tracks within a concise 3-to-5-minute range. This method, reminiscent of prog rock’s departure from excessive evolution, presents a refreshing contrast to the conventional disco-club format. Furthermore, Catharina Stoltenberg’s dulcet, mid-range vocals resonate with the style reminiscent of ‘@’s “Are you there God? It’s me,” and upon reflection, the similarities between the two duos, both heavily reliant on synthesizers and samplers, are striking.
Smerz’s choice of instrumentation is captivating, with sampled EP pianos exuding a lo-fi quality that undergoes extensive processing, creating a sound akin to a retro video game soundtrack in both tone and composition. This evokes the techniques employed by Toby Fox in his treatment of piano textures within his games, as well as the utilization of one-finger piano lines typically found in video game scores and Japanese math rock songs.
The track “Big Dreams” stands out for its ever-evolving piano theme, fragmented into unpredictable segments that create an elusive meter. Additional instruments and voices sporadically punctuate the arrangement, adding to the unsettled ambiance before swiftly fading away. As a drum set grounds the composition, offering stability, the unsettling nature of the piece is maintained. Just as a semblance of equilibrium is reached, the drums disappear, returning the listener to the initial disarray.
The album as a whole, with its meticulously processed samples, synth-modeled tones, and synthesized beats, presents a fusion of rock band sensibilities with club music executed on a laptop, resulting in a masterful musical experience. I recommend approaching this album with an open mind, as it straddles the boundary between rock and club music, inviting listeners to lose themselves in its melodies and rhythms. Whether you’re a dancer, a contemplative soul, or a rock aficionado, “Big City Life” offers something for everyone.