The Smile (Live at Montreux Jazz Festival, July 2022) explained

Type:live
Artist:the Smile
Cover:TheSmileMontreux.png
Border:yes
Alt:A painting of two blue humanoid silhouettes, one standing with their head and shoulders out of the top of the frame, and the other coming out from near the bottom of the frame with their lower body not visible. The album name is in the top-right corner in all caps block text.
Released:14 December 2022
Recorded:12 July 2022
Venue:Montreux Music & Convention Centre, Montreux, Switzerland
Length:35:03
Label:XL
Prev Title:A Light for Attracting Attention
Prev Year:2022
Next Title:Europe: Live Recordings 2022
Next Year:2023
Italic Title:no

The Smile (Live at Montreux Jazz Festival, July 2022) is the first live album by the English rock band the Smile, released on 14 December 2022 by XL Recordings.[1] It is a recording of their Montreux Jazz Festival set from 12 July.[2] [3] The Smile announced the album the day before its release, backed by a concert film available to view for 48 hours on YouTube.[4]

Reception

Spins Jonathan Rowe said the album demonstrated that the Smile were "no mere studio project" but "an actual, organic live band".[5] In Pitchfork, Zach Schonfeld wrote: "Since the beginning, the Smile have been dogged by an eminently reasonable question: how is this not just two Radioheads stacked in a trench coat? The answer is right there in the title of this release. This band plays jazz, see." Both critics expressed disappointment that the album did not include the new songs the Smile had performed on their tour.

Track listing

Personnel

Notes and References

  1. News: Brodsky . Rachel . December 14, 2022 . Stream the Smile's Montreux Jazz Festival, July 2022 Live Album . Stereogum . March 2, 2023.
  2. News: Harbron . Lucy . 13 April 2022 . Montreux Jazz Festival Announce Their 2022 Programme . Gigwise . March 2, 2023.
  3. News: Corcoran . Nina . December 13, 2022 . The Smile announce new live album . . March 2, 2023.
  4. News: Gallagher . Alex . 13 December 2022 . The Smile announce new live album recorded at Montreux Jazz Festival . NME . March 2, 2023.
  5. News: Rowe . Jonathan . December 20, 2022 . Radio-Free Europe: The Smile gleams at Montreux Jazzfest . . March 2, 2023.