Armistead Bruwell Smith IV is a talented man. Having been mastermind behind such great bands as Pinback and Three Mile Pilot, he's proven himself to be an expert at creating moody, intelligent and thought-provoking music. Systems Officer is the debut EP from his newest project, and though he has an impressive resume, I'm not quite sure what to make of this little record. Smith recorded and produced Systems Officer on his own; an impressive feat, to be sure, but if you're left thinking "these songs sound like Pinback demos," you're not alone.
It's obvious that Smith's songwriting skills are impeccable, but it's hard to escape this feeling that Systems Officer is undercooked. The main problem isn't that Smith's songs are bad, but it's the difference between demos and finished productions. It's hard not to feel that songs like "Forever this Cyanide," "Systems Officer" and "Desert/Sea" sound incomplete. It's not that the songs are bad, it's that they haven't been allowed to mature. Of course, this highlights one of the problems with artists who play all of their instruments for their 'band': the ability of the 'band' only goes as far as the artist's talent. There's a certain undeniable flatness to Systems Officer, and that's a shame.
Still, there is hope; in the liner notes, Smith states that he has an actual live band that backs him up. While the fate of Pinback is still in the air--it's been a while since their last album was deemed "forthcoming" and for a creative guy like Smith, he's probably already got a backload of songs in the wings. It would be wrong to write Systems Officer off as a lesser project yet; after all, Systems Officer is merely an EP. Given some time and some actual band recording, this could be yet another interesting Armistead Bruwell Smith IV project.
--Joseph Kyle
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