Look out Lucy Michelle and the Velvet Lapelles, you have some competition. With the release of their debut CD, Backyard Tent Set, Caroline Smith and the Goodnight Sleeps have demonstrated to be a great new emerging band in the local music scene and are proving that Lucy Michelle is not the only female led quirky folk-pop game in town. The comparisons between the two bands are all over the place, from twee pop songs to the Joanna Newsom-like vocal warble from the respective front women. Both bands use folk based instruments (banjo for Smith and ukulele for Michelle) to add a nice touch to their eclectic pop songs and both have strong debut CDs and excellent live shows.

The songs on Backyard Tent Set do not constitute a wide variety of territory, but they are good at what they are. The songs, leaning on Jenny Lewis/Feist-type of songwriting with forlorn songs about love and heartbreak from a female prospective are both sweet and endearingly melodramatic. Smith has a flair for capturing the awkward moments that seem to encompass the rough terrain of life, especially in unraveling relationships. Like their live show, the three piece Goodnight Sleeps serve as a strong anchor to supply Smith with lush backing tracks for her songs. The instruments are mainly subdued, with acoustic guitars, banjo, keyboards, harmonica, light drums and keyboards adding texture to her whimsical pop songs sung in her commanding voice. Like anything so sweet, there are moments where the songs border on being too delicate and there could be a little more variety in the songwriting, but the CD clocks in at a brisk 40 minutes and contains no weak songs, so it goes by quickly. Highlights include the upbeat yet sad song “Closing the Door” and the sweetly innocent “From Me” and “You Promised Me.”

(photo by Lilly Ball)

Backyard Tent Set is a success and leads the way towards a bright future for this young band. Although anything leaning this far into the pop realm is undoubtedly not for everyone, it is a great CD that captures the engaging talents of a burgeoning songwriter and her band as they continue to grow.

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Also: The Spinto Band, Frightened Rabbit & Caroline Smith @ the Entry