Album Review: X- Smoke & Fiction

Aaron ConnMusic, ReviewsLeave a Comment

Nearly 45 years since the release of their landmark debut album Los Angeles, LA punk rockers X are calling it a day. While the band are currently on their farewell tour, the veteran punk rockers have recently released their ninth and last studio album. The album, Smoke & Fiction, is the band’s first album since 2020’s Alphabetland, which was a “surprise release” during lockdown. As one would expect from X, Smoke & Fiction is a solid album filled with punk rock riffs and hooks. It’s not only a good album but it’s also a surprisingly mature album from the band.

In its 28 minutes run time, the ten tracks on Smoke & Fiction fall into several categories. When it comes to X and their music, the songs are usually fast-paced ditties about partying, relationships and society. For Smoke & Fiction, the songs are musically similar to that of the band’s earlier work. Lyrically, however, is where the album differs from of the band’s previous work. Considering this is set out to be the last X album, the songs on Smoke & Fiction feel almost autobiographical and nostalgic.  It makes sense: singer Exene Cerkvenka, guitarist Billy Zoom, bassist/singer John Doe and drummer DJ Bonebrake are all approaching or are in their 70s. With that in mind, this gives the songs on the album some context.

The songs on Smoke & Fiction are all different variations of this matured version of X. A good number of these songs remember times of youth, looking back at these memories in a loving way. Examples of this can be found on “Sweet Till The Bitter End” and “Struggle.” The former brings back memories of “getting in trouble again” and “drinking a love potion” while the latter shares feelings of remorse, with mentions of “love notes” and “uphill cries and heavy sighs.” Speaking of feelings or states of mind, other songs on Smoke & Fiction deal with this. The opening track, “Ruby Church,” sees a person in a “lonely state of grace” standing with a “smile upon” their face. There’s also “Flipside,” which uses the titular term as a way of describing the dark side of one’s mind.

If Smoke & Fiction had one defining element, it would be the autobiographical songs. All throughout the album, there are references made to the band’s past, with some songs utilizing in this more than others. Take the title track, for example. In the verses, Exene and John sing about how “books and pages” are burning and are “killed with contradiction.” This could be reflective of the band, in how history books have tried to chronicle their history. Then again, who knows the truth? Another highlight is “Winding Up the Time,” which sees Exene and John questioning themselves throughout their career: “Am I silver?/Am I stone?/Am I half?/Or am I whole?”

Celestial lyrics are hidden throughout the album, with mentions of the moon, the stars and the sky in many songs. Yet of the ten songs on the album, only “Face in the Moon” has it in the title. Musically, it’s a diversion from everything else on the album: a psychedelic rocker about riding around California. Though when you think about it, it could be there to represent the music the band grew up listening to. Hell, it’s even a song that the band’s first producer Ray Manzarek could’ve cranked out with the Doors back in the day. If one were looking for the defining track from the album, it would be “Big Black X,” an autobiographical song not only about the band but also the LA scene. With imagery of Hollywood letters falling down and a “tiny little x on a white marquee,” the song certainly paints a picture.

As a whole, Smoke & Fiction is an impressive effort from X. From its nostalgic sound to its autobiographic nature, the band are truly going out on a high note.

Rating: 7/10

(Visited 188 times, 1 visits today)