Album Review: Lehmann B Smith - Girlfriends

Lehmann B Smith is adamant he will flood the market with his wares, such is the voracious nature of his songwriting over the past two years. However it's unlikely that the wider music-listening public will have heard (or possibly ever will hear) of him. When he isn't psyching out in Kes Band, he's crafting off-kilter pop tunes that revel in idiosyncrasies. Yet there's an innate charm in the faux-naivety and heart of his songs, and new album Girlfriends continues this trend.

The first thing noticeable is the juxtaposition between the songs themselves and the themes that Smith harbours. Despite the choir, the rococo instrumentation and the cheeky posture that he emits, he's quietly morose, his conquests and demeanour barely concealing despair and woe. The antiquated shuffle of I Believe, the bells and whistles of I Spy The Morning and the broken drive of My Body, No Good barely conceal Smith's struggles with inadequacy and uncertainty. The pangs of being alone and finding solace at the bottom of the bottle permeate the sonorous Malice For The Bullshit, while on Killer Stone, Take Luck Smith incredulously ruminates “it's a wonder we can even fuck”.

The real wonder though is how giddy and fun these tracks are. Smith's vocals are nasally-yet-engaging; the mass array of instruments orchestrating these ambitious gems are inspired rather than cluttered; the melodies and harmonies hit the right spots, making you smile even as life begins to unravel. It's a tightrope of precision, a wonky traipse through the better parts of the pop realm, and exultant in its follies and foibles. Smith may not have many girlfriends now, but it's only a matter of time.