Vintage melodramatic pop.  That is the best way to describe April Smith and the Great Picture Show.  The band’s new album,Songs For A Sinking Ship, is over the top in the best way possible.  You can imagine yourself in an old time saloon listening to them play.  It’s a combination of a little jazz, a little ragtime and a whole lotta awesome. 

Smith has a gift for emoting very distinct feelings through her vocals and takes on characters in each song.  She puts on a provocative burlesque-style vocal show in songs like “Wow and Flutter” where she sings “Don’t hate a girl because she knows/ All the ways to get beneath your clothes / Cause you played those games, down to the letter / You’re just mad cause I play them better.”  She switches gears to the heartbroken ex-girlfriend on the album’s ballads “Beloved” and “What’ll I Do.”  The words of a devoted girlfriend are sung in “Colors,” and the not bitter anymore ex-girlfriend role is played in “Stop Wondering.”  

Songs For A Sinking Ship is a whirlwind of emotions in a big band style.  Every song leaves you wanting to hear what’s going to come next.  There is never a dull moment when listening to April Smith and the Great Picture Show.  They are creating a sound all their own and doing it well. 

In A Word: Dramatic