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Virginia, North
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Dope Smoothie: Go Strike
[Elitist Low Brow]

Dope Smoothie's approach to crafting records that hint at their varied influences reaches a new plateau with this sophomore release, Go Strike. While the band only makes public mention of The Pixies and Ween as inspirations, their music proves their appreciation for other groups that are not as quirky. "River Styx," "All Day" and "Soft Gel" are gentle rockers that musically recall Radiohead's earlier, more straightforward albums. Vocally, however, singer/guitarist Josh Bate displays a more wavering style during these two tracks, as well as throughout many of the other songs on the album. An example of this is with "Sea Cow" and "Cans," in which the music and vocals are hauntingly reminiscent of Neutral Milk Hotel's In the Areoplane Over the Sea. Elsewhere on the record you can expect to endure a sonic tribute to the Shangri-la of the Grunge era, Seattle, which is also Dope Smoothie's home-base. Songs like "Feeb" and the appropriately-titled "Seattle Size" are fine tributes to Mudhoney, undoubtedly the zenith of the early pioneers of Grunge.

Dope Smoothies reliance on older influences is not necessarily a summation of its sound. There are numerous instances in Go Strike when it is evident that Dope Smoothie is not one of those nostalgic acts that will forever remain "behind the times" or "stuck in the past." The best example of the group's disproving of these unfair depictions can be heard on the album's title track as well as "Get Absolution." These two songs feature vocals that might currently be considered "screamo," but what's really going on is what sounds like Bate going through delirium tremens while drowning in spastic guitar, trembling bass notes and rigid drumming. These are just two illustrations of how Go Strike indicates that Dope Smoothie's perspective on making music is both ambitious and forward-looking.

Dope Smoothie Official Website

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