CD by Golden Smog. Lost Highway Records.
Call it “A Prairie Home Companion” for the alterative rock set. Golden Smog is a silly name for a side project of Midwestern musicians, the most notable of which is Jeff Tweedy of Chicago’s Wilco. Others hail from Soul Asylum and now-defunct the Jayhawks, both from Minneapolis. (The group’s name is from a character on “The Flinestones” that played off Mel Torme’s Velvet Fog nickname.)
Golden Smog’s fourth record, “Another Fine Day,” is remarkable, mixing moody alt-rock with pop, country, folk and classic rock of the Tom Petty variety. It’s better than many records by musicians who dedicate all their time to just one band.
The opening song, “You Make It Easy,” is a standout,a dark love song about dedication that’s wholesome or dysfunctional. You can’t tell (“I like it here by myself you sometimes need me, you make it easy”).
“5-22-02” is a bit of pop bliss, with a bouncy chorus and charming backing vocals by Muni Loco, the wife of producer Paco Loco. She takes the lead on “Cure for This,” another pretty pop song that recalls The Velvet Undergrond & Nico.
Tweedy takes over on “Strangers,” a Kinks cover, and “Listen Joe,” both of which get a Wilco alternative country treatment.
“Frying Pan Eyes” and “Hurricane” are Midwestern romps with homages to classic rock of the 1960s and ’70s.
Expect some formula and cliche, given the nature of the project. But even the tritest moments on “Another Fine Day” are downright likeable. Take “Corvette,” which was written for a car commercial directed by Mr. Madonna, Guy Ritchie. You almost can see flashy footage of zooming cars in your head during the “don’t it blow your mind?” chorus. Even at that, the song is among the more enjoyable on the record, a sort of guilty pleasure alongside more weighty pieces.
,Michael Lyster
