For those of you waiting for a Smiths reunion, wait no longer! The Smiths have been reunited in the form of The Holiday Crowd. Listen, this record sounds SO much like The Smiths, I looked up the songs on YouTube to make sure they weren’t Smiths songs mislabeled. So, this can swing you one of either two ways: You could be one of those people who say “Yeah, I love The Smiths, and a new band that sounds like them would be awesome!” Or you could say “That band The Holiday Crowd is a just rip off and completely lacks originality.” One thing that can’t be denied is that a good amount of the songs on the record are pretty catchy, rip off or not. (And keep in mind, it does NOT sound like solo Morrissey). However, not every song has trademark Moz vocals. The song "Painted Like a Forest" has a dancey bass line that charges on behind a a nice little Jonny Marr style arpeggiated riff, however the vocals are little more reminiscent of Robert Smith or Ian McCulloch. Let me put it this way, if you played this record for someone who has never heard The Smiths but you think would probably like them, they would probably love Over the Bluffs. I give it 4 out of 5 pompadours.
By Randy Nieto; February 2, 2012
