three years after their critically acclaimed second album, junctions, deadhollywood stars are back with a brand new record - exploring once again a different facet of their twisted american dream. admirers of the previous two albums will be in familiar territory, a feeling reinforced by the omnipresence of the slide guitars, ghostly melodies and the unique combination of acoustic with electronic elements. but smoke and mirrors quietly leaves the “desert ambient” of gone west (2000) and the more cinematographic realm of junctions (2002), so that it can dig deeper. more song based and acoustic than before, delicately crafted, and yet disturbing, smoke and mirrors opens a new door to the odd universe of dead hollywood stars. a place where dusty slide guitars meet mysterious trumpets, 60"s exotica infects old-school electronic pulses, and where the shadows of badalamenti and morricone are always near. a clash of spectral jazz, ambient americana, spooky boogie and psychotronic pop...