Smash the Windows

Smash The Windows
Studio album by Mischief Brew
Released	July 12, 2005
Genre	Folk Punk, Gypsy Punk
Length	48:43
Label	Fistolo Records, Gunner Records
Mischief Brew chronology
Bakenal (2003) Smash the Windows (2005) Songs from Under the Sink (2006)

Smash The Windows is the first full-length album from the DIY folk punk band Mischief Brew. The album was released in 2005 by Fistolo Records (US), and in 2006 by Gunner Records (EU).^[1] It was recorded in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY at Vibromonk Studios by Tamir Muskat and Danny Shatzky, December 2004-January 2005. The album has guest appearances from members of World Inferno, Guignol, Evil Robot Us', and Leftöver Crack.^[2]

Track listing

1. "The Reinvention of the Printing Press" - 2:41
2. "Citizens Drive" - 4:28
3. "Lightning Knock the Power Out" - 3:43
4. "Nomads Revolt" - 4:04
5. "The Lowly Carpenter" - 3:04
6. "Ten Thousand Fleas" - 3:52
7. "Swing Against the Nazis" - 3:04
8. "From the Rooftops" - 4:37
9. "The Gypsy, the Punk, and the Fool (A Tale)" - 6:21
10. "Roll Me Through the Gates of Hell" - 3:36
11. "Ain't It the Life?" - 3:20
12. "A Liquor Never Brewed (with Guignol)" - 3:21
13. "Departure Arrival" - 2:39^[2]

Personnel

• Erik Petersen - Vocals, guitar, mandolin, percussion
• Sean Yantz - Bass
• Chris "Doc" Kulp - Drums, bodhran, marimba, junk percussion
• Julian Tomas Buchanan - Saxophone
• Franz Nicolay - Accordion
• Peter Hess - Clarinet
• Denise Vertucci - Vocals
• Scott Sturgeon - Vocals
• Jim Kydonieus - Upright bass
• Tamir Muskat - Engineer
• Danny Shatzky - Engineer
• Steve Roche - Engineer

Critical reception

Reviews for 'Smash the Windows' were mixed, but mostly favorable. Punknews called it, "DIY folk punk at its finest," while HeartattaCk Zine praised the lyrics: "Poetic anthems to a downtrodden life and the hope for a brighter tomorrow that inspire you to throw a wrench in the gears and enjoy what little of the natural world is left."^[3] Razorcake Magazine, however, described it as "Sub-Pogues pseudo Celtic style balladeering," claiming that it "[never] really rocks out; it just plods along like a campfire singalong."^[4]

Shortly after its release, The Village Voice rated Erik Petersen/Mischief Brew "Best Anarchist Political Folk-Punk Singer" in their Best of NYC 2005 Issue.^[5] Alternative Press rated "A Liquor Never Brewed" one of the "Top Ten Essential Folk Punk Songs."

References

1. "Myspace". Fistolo.com. Retrieved 2012-03-09.
2. Archived May 10, 2008 at the Wayback Machine
3. Archived May 12, 2008 at the Wayback Machine
4. "Punk Music Reviews | MISCHIEF BREW | Smash the Windows". Razorcake. Retrieved 2012-03-09.
5. "New York Best Anarchist Political Folk-Punk Singer - MISCHIEF BREW - Best Of New York". Village Voice. Retrieved 2012-03-09.