What a surprise! It has been 7 or 8 years since we have heard from The Smith Brothers, whose debut album "Lost" was a huge favorite at the turn of the century here and has been out of print for a *long* time(due to be reissued soon - details coming!). Now, "Restless" has been unleashed and ushers in the powerful, triumphant return of this `lost` band. So cause for celebration, pop fans old `n new. PowerPopAHolic is right on top of it, as usual and they agree with my sentiments: "9 out of 10. The Smith Bros. are back -- fans of Velvet Crush and Posies should rejoice. I enjoyed the debut and this is a solid follow up showing both musical and songwriting growth. The buzzsaw riffs and subdued vocals are back in all it`s hook-filled glory. "How Wrong You Are" is a Posies styled mid-tempo guitar lead single that does everything you`d expect. The vocals of the brothers Smith come close to a combination of Evan Dando (Lemonheads) and Tim Rogers (You Am I). The follow up "Down To You" is similar but "She`s Under My Skin" takes it up a notch gets a little funky with a Jellyfish-like quality in the chorus. The next song "Talk of the Town" is just brilliant --in that combines the lyrical wit of Elvis Costello and the sighing harmonies of the Beach Boys with the support of a wall of Rickenbacker guitar chords. The following tune "Restless" seems also cut from that cloth and the tone gets more hopeful. "Every Day Gets Better" is the template of a power pop song and manages to inject a real enthusiasm and freshness in the standard three-minutes plus pop song. There is a lot of music here too (13 tracks). Each one filled with ultra-melodic guitar hooks and simple, memorable melodies. Best here is there is no drop off in quality of the music. Even the ballad "Little Things" is interesting and the sunshine pop of "My Great Regret" is another excellent Costello-meets-Beach Boys flavored single and would have been a perfect ending. By the time we get to the "bonus" country-pop song "Daydream" (which sounds like a holdover from the first album) you realize you`ve been on a musical journey. And what a trip - I highly advise you get this if you like any of the bands I mentioned above. This also makes my crowded top ten of 2008 list this year.". More than a welcome return for power pop fans, an event!
 Song #1 - mp3
Song #2 - mp3
Song #3 - mp3
Song #4 - mp3
Song #5 - mp3 | 
