Kieren Smith

PropertyOfZack Review : : Little Bombs

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 14:18:55 -0600

When beloved Minnesota power-poppers Sing It Loud fractured in 2010 under the weight of creative differences, most fans kept their eyes out for lead singer Pat Brown’s next move. Meanwhile, guitarist Kieren Smith, an equal creative force in that project, seems to have quickly slipped off the radar. Now, following a brief dalliance with solo acoustic recording and a move to New York City, Smith has put together another band, Little Bombs, with Take Cover drummer Derek Johnson, and it’s clear from their self-titled debut that the time out of the spotlight was trying.

Smith has always evinced a gift for strong melodic chops, but he’s dialed down the volume on his pop moves here a smidge; everything on Little Bombs is a touch darker, a bit roughed up, a little less obvious than anything Sing It Loud attempted. It’s a move that suits his voice, more demure and shaded than Brown’s boisterous, nasal presence. If Sing It Loud were a power-pop band of the 2008 neon vintage, Little Bombs bears much more in common with the term’s progenitors, refugees from an alternate universe where The Posies towered over Nirvana and Material Issue’s International Pop Overthrow truly became one. “Deal With The Devil” splits the difference between Weezer’s Blue Album and Better Than Ezra’s Deluxe; lead single “Don’t Walk My Way” is the sad cousin of the Goo Goo Dolls’ “We Are The Normal”.

Credit producer Ed Ackerson (who clearly knows this territory well, having been around this block once or twice with his own experimental-pop group Polara) for both coaxing measured, nuanced performances out of Smith and Johnson and for the album’s well-worn feel, all chunky drums, scuzzed-up guitars and thick-but-crisp basslines. (Those basslines, uncredited in the band’s bio, are particularly exceptional throughout, often carrying the melody through middle eights and prechoruses). It’s not at all perfected — the cymbals in “Watch You Go”’s chorus mash together into some weird, phased distraction, for one — but the upsides of the approach far outweigh the drawbacks. There’s a super-satisfying feel to the whole affair, a pleasant organic sillage that’s doubly refreshing when contrasted with the robotic, hyper-precise impersonal sheen that seems to have infected so much guitar pop as of late. Imperfect pop forever!

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Towing a semi. #nonefucksgiven (Taken with instagram)

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 13:26:39 -0600

Towing a semi. #nonefucksgiven (Taken with instagram)

Who needs ice bro!? (Taken with instagram)

Sun, 22 Jan 2012 14:16:57 -0600

Who needs ice bro!? (Taken with instagram)

Waiting for the train… Always waiting. (Taken with...

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 08:44:40 -0600

Waiting for the train… Always waiting. (Taken with instagram)

Champagne or beer…? (Taken with instagram)

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 16:56:50 -0600

Champagne or beer…? (Taken with instagram)

Hey @yobennyfresh (Taken with instagram)

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 12:07:50 -0600

Hey @yobennyfresh (Taken with instagram)

Just rediscovered this gem. @jordanmschmidt (Taken with...

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 14:38:24 -0600

Just rediscovered this gem. @jordanmschmidt (Taken with instagram)

NYC looks cool tonight! (Taken with instagram)

Fri, 06 Jan 2012 16:04:15 -0600

NYC looks cool tonight! (Taken with instagram)

My foursquare sums up my life pretty well… (Taken with...

Fri, 02 Dec 2011 12:05:46 -0600

My foursquare sums up my life pretty well… (Taken with instagram)

Chicken wrapped in bacon. Thanksgiving bitch. (Taken with...

Thu, 24 Nov 2011 13:28:59 -0600

Chicken wrapped in bacon. Thanksgiving bitch. (Taken with instagram)

Amen. (Taken with instagram)

Mon, 21 Nov 2011 11:47:46 -0600

Amen. (Taken with instagram)

In a New York minute… (Taken with instagram)

Sun, 30 Oct 2011 16:46:54 -0500

In a New York minute… (Taken with instagram)

Little Bombs + Purevolume = Awesome

Fri, 21 Oct 2011 11:03:48 -0500

Little Bombs + Purevolume = Awesome:

Get a free Little Bombs track here!

Many Thanks!

Sun, 16 Oct 2011 21:51:50 -0500

Quick post here as I watch my sad and sorry Vikings get stomped.

I just wanted to thank everyone for all the support with my new band Little Bombs. I started LB to try and do something that represents me as an artist and as a person 100%. Our record came out a few weeks ago and the reaction from everyone has been amazing. It’s been interesting and very challenging starting over from Sing It Loud, but it has also been very refreshing. There is a LOT of new music out there, and for a band that just started, and hasn’t put itself out there very much, the fact that we have been getting listens is amazing. I just wanted to personally thank everyone who has streamed a track, liked a page, or bought a song/record. Everyone works hard for their money, and in this economy, people have been working even harder. So the fact that anyone has given me 4:00 minutes of their time, or $.99 cents of their hard earned money, is really awesome. I come from a band of early success and high speed development, so it is nice to be on the slow long haul. I want to meet every single person who is a Little Bombs fan and thank them. We are playing music we believe in, and it is really rewarding to see that get recognized. So once again, thank you to anyone and everyone who has been supportive of me/LB. I cannot wait to get back on the road and rock with all of you! Beers on me!

Much Love

-K

PropertyOfZack Track-By-Track : : Little Bombs

Thu, 06 Oct 2011 15:09:22 -0500

The dirty dirty on the new Little Bombs album! Hope you love it!

-K

propertyofzack:

Little Bombs (ft. Kieren Smith from Sing It Loud) released their debut self-titled album just a few days ago. Kieren was kind enough to write up a Track-By-Track guide behind each of the songs on the album for fans. You can buy the album here and check out the band’s Facebook page here. Read up on it below and enjoy!

1. Back Home
This is one of the first songs I ever wrote for Little Bombs. Right after Sing It Loud broke up I went through this sort of “anti-scene” phase. I guess you could say I’m definitely not listening to that music at all anymore, but I’m not as bitter towards it as I was. After working for years on SIL and watching it all crumble the last 6 months I was a part of it was really discouraging. So when I started coming up with this song, I was trying to be as fresh as possible. It was nothing like I had written before musically and it really got to me. The lyrics basically have the “fuck it, nothing matters” attitude since as we all know, everything ends anyway. Its pretty negative and bitter, but honestly, who doesn’t feel that way every once and a while? And plus, it’s just an awesome song to drink a beer to.

2. Feel This
“Feel This” is definitely the punk-rock song on the album. Both Derek and I are huge Nirvana/Foo Fighters fans, so our influences show in this track. I wrote the riff one day when I was pissed off (as you will see is a major theme throughout the record), and rather than try and write some deep lyrical meaning, I just decided to state the obvious. Too many people try to be poetic when a simple, basic phrase gets the point across just fine.

3. Cold Winter
What can I say… Minneapolis is one cold city, and when it gets cold, it gets dark. Living in that environment has an effect on everyone. Some more than others, but most people in Minnesota have some sort of seasonal disorder. “Cold Winter” is basically about that time of year when everything outside is dead and you get that long hopeless feeling inside. It almost puts you in a zombie/trance-like state which in turn, can be really great for artistic expression. It is actually quite beautiful.

4. Watch You Go
This is the most personal song to me on the record. Right when SIL ended, my longtime girlfriend and I split up. And to be honest, it was because I was being a dumbass. I was insecure and selfish and stopped putting her first in my life. Well, she basically called me out on it and gave me what I deserved. It takes a lot of guts to come out and admit that, and it takes a true man to do so. The basic message here is to remember what/who is important in your life, and never take them for granted. Everyone can relate to this, and if you can’t, you’re in denial.

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Band To Fan

Tue, 27 Sep 2011 18:59:24 -0500

So this weekend I launched the Little Bombs preorder. I wanted to try something new by offering those who preordered the record an immediate download of the album a week early. I thought it would be a hit… but turns out, people like the convenience of iTunes a lot more than I anticipated.

Either way, for those of you who want to wait until October 4th, that’s still cool! Please check out the record on Tuesday. We will be teaming up with an awesome website to offer a featured stream as well.

For those of you who don’t mind using Paypal, you can get the record NOW! Quit giving Apple money that should go to the artists ;)

Check it out at LITTLEBOMBS.com

You can also stream our new jam , “Watch You Go” HERE

-K

Steve Salazar

Tue, 20 Sep 2011 21:25:26 -0500

Today is a good day.

Most of you don’t know this, but for the past year I have had the pleasure of managing an amazingly talented singer/songwriter from Minneapolis named Steve Salazar. I met Steve in January of 2010 when Sing It Loud played the Garage in Burnsville, MN for a new years acoustic show. We met thanks to the lovely Pat Brown, who after a little mix up, had me convinced that the guitar we had borrowed had been stolen. Of course, I flipped out and stormed all around the Garage trying to find the guitar, when in the midst of my fury, I found it sitting next to Steve Salazar. After about 20 minutes of thorough questioning, and almost bringing the poor kid to tears, we established that it was NOT the guitar Pat had borrowed and that it belonged to Steve. Turns out, Pat had been playing the “lost” guitar for the better part of an hour backstage and didn’t bother to check and see if the guitar he was holding in his hands was the missing instrument I had been searching for.

Needless to say, I felt terrible for the guy, so I apologized over and over. I felt so bad that I even invited him to come play some online shows with us. After checking out his stuff, I, just like many others, immediately saw something special in him. He doesn’t think he’s super cool. He doesn’t shit talk ANYONE. He doesn’t act like a rockstar. And most of all, he doesn’t straighten his hair. He is just a great guy, playing catchy-as-hell music that means something to him. This is a quality that is few and far between when it comes to young musicians.

Bottom line is- this kid’s got it. We have been working our asses off for about a year now alongside my best friend Jordan Schmidt to get his music out there, and today it finally happened. His debut album, produced by Jordan and myself dropped today, and it would mean the world to him and to me, if you could just go take a listen. I’m not using this post to solicite another record (like I so often do). I just want to share with you a great kid playing catchy, feel-good music that will definitely put the finishing touch to your favorite summer playlist. Support good music. Support good people.

Check it out here.

iTunes

Facebook

Love

-k

This is why most musicians are broke. (Taken with instagram)

Fri, 16 Sep 2011 16:07:11 -0500

This is why most musicians are broke. (Taken with instagram)

Stickam

Mon, 12 Sep 2011 20:03:54 -0500

So I’ve thought about doing a Stickam show this week… would anyone watch?

Mean Muggin’ in Astoria (Taken with instagram)

Wed, 07 Sep 2011 16:16:46 -0500

Mean Muggin’ in Astoria (Taken with instagram)