Review: The Webstirs “The Webstirs Re-Present Smirk”

Rock/Power pop
We last covered The Webstirs with their release of “So Long” in 2009 (review here). Strongly influenced by the pop craftsmanship of Brian Wilson, “So Long” was one of the best offerings that year for power pop rockers. But the Webstirs actually debuted on the music scene back in 1994. Their latest offering, “The Webstirs Re-Present Smirk”, is a re-release of that debut, which provides fans with a real treat to experience the band’s humble beginnings.

True to form, “The Webstirs Re-Present Smirk” is a friendly nod to Brian Wilson’s long lost album “SMiLE”, which finally saw the light of day in 2004 as “Brian Wilson Presents SMiLE”. However, it should be noted that “The Webstirs Re-Present Smirk” is not strictly a re-release…it has been completely reworked. The band remixed, remastered, added unreleased goodies, and shuffled the order and redid the artwork. In the words of keyboardist Mark Winkler, “It’s a total reboot of the original”.

It is always a joy to discover older material written by a band that you recently became a fan of…and “The Webstirs Re-Present Smirk” does not disappoint. The band was just as good during their start in 1994 as they are now. There are plenty of well structured tunes in the power pop tradition, bolstered with well placed accordion, jangling piano, and gentle horns. You’ll be hard pressed to find a bad tune in the batch, but the Webstirs really knock these out of the park on cuts like “You Can Hang Around”, “Old Enough”, and “It’s Over Now”. Recommended if you like Brian Wilson, Jellyfish, or Jellybricks.

iPOD-worthy: 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10

The Webstirs – Official site. Visit now and get a free download!

Review: Webstirs "So Long"

On hiatus since 2001, Chicago-based pop rockers The Webstirs return with their fourth release entitled, "So Long". Indeed, 8 years is a long time, but the songwriting talents and performance skills of The Webstirs have only gotten better with age.

Songwriters Preston Pisellini (guitars/vocals) and Mark Winkler (keyboards/vocals) have teamed up with their long-time producer Matt Allison to deliver the twelve pop gems comprising "So Long". The Webstirs specialize in writing infectious pop melodies that have a strong Beatles or Brian Wilson flavor, while retaining a very contemporary sound. "So Long" is thoroughly engaging and entertaining from beginning to end.

Things get underway (and close) with an instrumental piece that serves to cleanse the musical palate. Without further ado, the bright and brassy "Wesley Station" kicks the CD into high gear, showcasing the band's knack to fuse crunchy and jangly guitar riffs. Like many of the other songs that follow, the mix of key pop ingredients is perfect - horns and other dramatic orchestration blend in very effectively with the crisp guitars and plentiful harmonies. Imagine a jam session between Jellyfish and Weezer! "Somewhere to Start" flexes some more guitar muscle, but remains grounded in a solid sing-a-long hook. But the band isn't all about guitars, as evidenced by the bouncy piano of the delightfully catchy "Malaise" and the equally enjoyable "Calendar Faces". "Apparition Shrine" sounds like it would fit most comfortably on a Weezer record. "Still Drowning" is one of my favorite cuts, its driving bass and jamming guitar riff hitting all the right buttons - sounds a bit like AC/DC jamming with Jason Falkner!

"So Long" is so good, I am so looking forward to getting tangled up in the rest of The Webstirs' CDs. Highly recommended for fans of Britpop, Jellyfish, Superdrag, and Fastball.

iPOD-worthy: 2, 3, 5, 8, 9, 10, 11

The Webstirs on MySpace. Official site. Get CD here.