Smash Palace - Over the Top

This Philadelphia-based combo is fronted by Stephen and Brian Butler, founding members of Quincy, an 80's band that released a single LP on Columbia Records.

The Butler Brothers have clearly injected their skill, panache, and taste into the third Smash Palace CD, Over The Top. This album is (ahem) over the top with '80s influences such as The Travelling Wilburys, The Long Ryders, and Guadalcanal Diary. Stephen Butler's vocal style and tasty guitar licks lend themselves well to down home power pop rockers like "Steal Her Thunder," "Lucky Me," and "Ordinary World," as well as the bonafide Southern rock of "One Way Track." Other tracks, such as "I'll Be There" and "Wish I Knew How" are particularly reminiscent of that Long Ryders twang, and the resurrection of the boppy Quincy tune called "Dime Store Lies" is a minor-key delight. Over The Top is an excellent disc from top to bottom, and proves that the art of true songwriting has not become extinct.  

~David Bash, Amplifier Magazine