The Smugglers - Mutiny In Stereo (2004)

Stylish Vancouver garagesters with hearts of pure rock'n'roll rubbish, the wonderful Smugglers represent the pop side of the monoxide-flavored genre in the great Northwest with flash, trash, goofball humor and self-deprecating Canuck charm. The lively five — who also have their hands in Mint Records and numerous side bands — haven't always been captured at their best on record, but when the moon is right and the mics are set just so, no one else can offer such compelling evidence that the Fleshtones have colorful Canadian spawn, raised on radioactive shellfish from the Black Lagoon.
"Mutiny In Stereo" (is the latest album of the band) was recorded in the blazing Vancouver summer of 2003 at an easy pace. No hard deadlines, no clock-watching, no stress, and it shows. The album is a sharp, relaxed, raucous album stacked with eleven hook-filled Rock & Roll songs. Many of the songs included on "Mutiny In Stereo" hold a special place in the heart of the Smugglers. "Pirate Ships", the buzzsaw attack that kick-starts the record, is a metaphor for the insurgent survival of Rock & Roll: "Nick wrote that one" says lead singer Grant Lawrence. "It’s actually already one of my favourite Smugglers songs we've ever done. It’s so exciting to play. Back in the late 50s and early 60s, rock’n’roll was essentially banned from the airwaves in Great Britain so these pirate radio ships would anchor themselves off the coast of England and Wales and spin records, blasting it back to shore. Kids would hide under their covers and listen to forbidden rock music on their homemade transistor radios. Nick's uncle in Wales told us that story and we were so energized by it, the song was written almost instantly". "Shock the Shanker", "Don't Mess With Beez" and "Billy Billy" all draw from the familiar well of Smugglers revved-up garage jizz, The fan tribute "Larry" finds a good middle ground of gusto that lets the tune's melodic hook shine through, while "Haunt Me" trots out a wah-wah pedal for variety. "Mach 1" is acoustic and the instrumental finale, "Do You Hear That Sound", is barely louder. Album is self-produced and contains all original material. This disc is also an enhanced CD, containing all four of the Smugglers videos and a hilarious "Making Of" featurette.

Although The Smugglers are best known for their onstage antics – which includes trademark cheap suits and rubber boots, and handing out old little league trophies to the best dancers at gigs – Mutiny in Stereo proves that their CDs can stand on their own two feet. They can also capture the ferocity and fun of their live shows. The "Wipeout"-esque surf drumming on "Pirate Ships" starts the album and pays tribute to the days when rock music was new, intense and verboten. The raucous "Billy-Billy" is something I imagine The Ramones might have recorded had Eddie Van Halen joined the band, and "Shock the Shanker" punkifies a segment of Kool & the Gang's "Jungle Boogie". Whether or not these are intentional nods to musicians who have been influential is not clear. What is clear is that The Smugglers draw from punk, rockabilly, surf, pop and metal to create a Killer Rock 'N' Roll record.