The Strongest Man Alive

Today is a day devoted to indie pop stud Graham Smith and his former band Kleenex Girl Wonder.


I was a big KGW fan in the late 90s. My old band APW opened a 1999 show for KGW in Chicago, and I even wrote a review of a 2002 KGW Brownies' show. I loved his hooks and humor, and delighted in his bravado. My admiration has waned recently after seeing a few downer Graham-on-solo-acoustic shows, but his pop smarts are still intact on his last two CD releases After Mathematics and Final Battle, both solidly structured pop efforts.

But to hear the skewered pop talents Smith showed in the mid-1990s, download some of Kleenex Girl Wonder's out-of-print mid-1990s material. First stop should definitely be Graham Smith is the Coolest Person Alive. This excellent CD starts with the fast jangle stomp of The Bostonians, and every song following is a fantastic kick. Do it! After that, check out Sexual Harassment and then Long Live the Pelican Express. All cool stuff from a good songwriter.

See Graham Smith play live March 12, 2005, Saturday, Galaxy Hut, Arlington, VA.