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Anteater · 05-31-2015, 03:30 PM

Smooth Reunion - Cleaning Up The Business (2008)

"The connection between two different worlds / Is the New York City style / You don't need to know no words / Just bond for a while..."

As L.A. music and mainstream sensibilities shifted and splintered considerably from the mid 80's through the present day, yacht rock became yet another notch on the genre bedpost for most people. Although some remained aware of the big "hits" of the heyday based on whatever loomed prominently on Spotify or ITunes under the yacht rock/soft rock tag ('What A Fool Believes', 'Steal Away', Michael Jackson's Thriller, etc.) most of the style's present acolytes ended up carrying on the spirit in a surprising part of the world - the Netherlands, specifically Sweden and Norway.

To that end, you now have young music majors coming out of university on that side of the pond who would have you believe Steely Dan never went out of style, such Josef Melin (vocals, guitars, bass, keys, harmonica) and Samuel Andre (drums, percussion, vocals), a couple of buds who formed a group called Smooth Reunion and released one top notch Westcoast album before splitting off into other bands and projects in 2010.

At the time they recorded this obscure little gem a few years back, they were in their early 20's, yet despite this fact this album sounds very professional and seasoned, like something the boys in Jamiroquai might have done in their early 90's heyday had they been a little more into George Duke as opposed to Chic or Luther Vandross. Yet that still doesn't quite sum up this duo's sound despite the aforementioned comparisons: Josef Melin takes a more understated, relaxed and informal approach to the mic that complements the overtly jazzy, ever-shuffling aesthetic that haunts the underbelly of these ten songs. Hell, forget yachts: this stuff would make any Starbucks 50x better in the atmosphere department compared to the usual fare.

As for the ten songs themselves, they have the benefit of being strong alone or even better as a complete album experience. Opening number 'BMPD',for instance, comes complete with a full blown horn section and a backing female-led chorus that sweetens the deal even more.

The balance between jazz and lyrical pop-isms continues to one degree or another in every track: there's lots of upright bass action, subtle piano or Rhodes melodic flourishes and lots of breezy guitar acoustics that bring beachy summer fun to mind. Some of the finer moments would be the gorgeous yet wryly amusing ode to pride 'Mr. Mullet' and the spacey hi-hat driven awesomeness of "lead" single 'The Connection', but is there a weak song here? I can't find it!

Long story short, groups like this one are what keep the benchmark high for acts trying to channel their inner L.A. cruise line into reality. Its the perfect antithesis for a cold winter day or the perfect complement for a sunny weekend. Give us another album boys, I'm beggin' ya! The future of Japan's children depends on it (see video below)!