This Is Me Smiling (album)

Infobox Album
Name = This Is Me Smiling
Type = Album
Artist = This Is Me Smiling


Released = September 20 2005
Recorded = Smart Studios
Big Gold Studios
Gravity Studios
Genre = Pop punk
Length = 42:02
Label = The Vinyl Summer
OneHaven/Red Label (Re-Release)
Producer = Sean O'Keefe
Reviews =
*Absolutepunk.net (8.8/10) [http://absolutepunk.net/showthread.php?t=98689&highlight=this+is+me+smiling link]
*PopMatters (8/10) [http://www.popmatters.com/pm/music/reviews/33143/this-is-me-smiling-this-is-me-smiling/ link]
*Punknews.org Rating|3.5|5 [http://www.punknews.org/review/4811 link]
*Tiny Voices (9/10) [http://www.tinyvoices.co.uk/reviews/tom_ThisIsMeSmiling_album_3910 link] |
Last album =
This album = This Is Me Smiling
(2005)
Next album =
Misc =Extra album cover 2
Upper caption = Re-Release Cover
Type = studio


Lower caption = "This Is Me Smiling" re-release (2007)

"This Is Me Smiling" is the debut full length album by Chicago band This Is Me Smiling. The album was originally released in 2005 on indie label The Vinyl Summer, and subsequently re-released on the Columbia Records imprint label OneHaven Music in 2007. The album has received critical praise, but due to its relatively limited release, has failed to make a commercial impact as of yet.

Recording the album

The band financed the album themselves, and hired producer Sean O'Keefe to give it a more polished sound. The recording process took about six months from start to finish. During the course of recording the album, the sessions moved from Smart Studios in Madison, Wisconsin to Big Gold Studios and then Gravity Studios in Chicago. Then, the band ran out of money and moved into the gymnasium of New Trier High School in Winnetka, Illinois to finish the record. They mic'ed the auditorium to record the piano tracks, and used the jazz room to record the drums and percussion. [Starpulse.com [http://www.starpulse.com/news/index.php/2007/04/05/this_is_me_smiling_tour_dates/ This Is Me Smiling Tour Dates] , Starpulse.com; April 5, 2007]

Jenny Choi, the leader of fellow Chicago band Sanawon, sang on "A Better Way To Fall In Love", "Matter To Matter" and "Say What You're Gonna Say".

Packaging

*The cover of the album is adapted from a 1980s map of the Brookfield Zoo that Schuessler found during the making of the album and presented to the band.
*In addition to the "Thank Yous" listed in the liner notes, the band also included a "No Thanks" to The Captain's Table Restaurant in Mobile, Alabama.

Track listing

All songs by Duszynski/Miller/Schuessler.
#"Ephemera" – 2:11
#"Feelin' The Time Pass By" – 3:17
#"Prettier" – 4:19
#"A Better Way to Fall in Love" – 2:21
#"Goodbye to Each New Day" – 4:20
#"Matter to Matter" – 2:22
#"So Excited to Sleep" – 3:36
#"Up In All Directions" – 3:26
#"Mixin' Up Adjectives" – 3:07
#"Say What You're Gonna Say" – 2:23
#"Smooth Jazz Instrumental" – 1:17
#"For When You Don't Hear It Right" – 4:09
#"Alive In The Chase" – 5:14

Personnel

Band

* Dan Duszynski – Guitar, Percussion, Vocals, Engineer
* Adam Kaltenhauser – Percussion, Drums
* Sheldon Miller – Organ, Percussion, Piano, Vocals, Fender Rhodes
* Matt Schuessler – Bass, Percussion, Engineer, Double Bass

Additional Personnel

* Michael Caplan – A&R
* Jenny Choi – Vocals
* Mike Felumlee – Drums
* Dominick Maita – Mastering
* Paul Natkin – Photography
* Sean O'Keefe – Producer, Engineer, Mixing
* Eric Remschneider – Cello
* Chris Spooner – Artwork
* Matt Walker – Drums, Loops

External links

* [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=&sql=10:axfoxq8rldhe "This Is Me Smiling" on All Music Guide]
* [http://www.411mania.com/music/album_reviews/53850 Review of "This Is Me Smiling" on 411mania.com]

References