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After years of recording with a slew of musicians, Remote Islands' Smother Party still appears to be essentially the sole work of multi-instrumentalist Colin Pate. Released on Isota Records of "Pitchfork Has Never Reviewed Any Of Our Records" fame, Smother Party is an overflowing bucket of aural experimentation. Pate's strength is his ability to conduct the orchestra of Casio keyboard-like instruments while maintaining composure, albeit often close to the edge. His extremely fuzzed-out vocals contribute in a similar way, supporting his bored - not boring - delivery, which often spikes into a detached falsetto. Topped off with organ, cello, upright bass, viola, pedal steel guitar - the compositions do sometimes feel slightly crowded. Pate's style is most comparable to that of the path dug by Beck, at least in terms of structure. The synth-hook of "Rockaway's Burns Tonight" is an excellent example of this, mixing a powerfully poppy hook with distorted, unique instrumentation. This formula is seen throughout the album, providing catchiness such as in the blend of the tiny and boomy guitar riffs of "Pop and Circumcision." Of course, there are enough tracks like "Pink Frosting" or "The Mean Beak" that have the deliberateness of a nursery rhyme with an intoxicated vocal affection to discourage listeners from focusing on the blatantly poppy aspects of the album. It is successful to the degree that when the emotion from songs like "Me and My Knife" becomes evident, listeners will realize the diversity of Pate's songwriting. As he moans "Here it comes, it's daylight shining in my eyes," there is not a more apparent indication on Smother Party of legitimate passion. The album closer "Luxury Liner" will be considered by many to be Pate's best effort, showcasing his penchant for creating insanely memorable - yet not unnecessarily melodic - hooks.

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