Swervedriver - Raise

Swervedriver released their debut in 1991. Designed to be played LOUD, it's an absolute guitarfest, gauzy riffs bouncing off each other right from the opener Sci Flyer.  Adam Franklin's vocals are a little muddy and muttered which takes a bit of getting used to, but just succumb to those guitars.

It really is a driving album.  Riff after riff follows, with the heavy rush of Pile Up spelling that out, Franklin singing “let's just drive”, quickly followed up by the pounding Son of Mustang Ford.  These are hard-rocking songs, with the latter's riff being particularly addictive.  

After this the album slows a little, which actually suits them.  Deep Seat takes it's time to build up to its hard-rocking, meaty riff.  The tracks are less traditional verse/chorus tunes but more vehicles for their grungy guitar work on the likes of Rave Down and Sunset.

The most epic track is the penultimate one, Sandblasted.  With a grinding, Pete Townshend-esque central riff, they slow the pace down at the key moments on this track which makes for a joyous moment.

The album hits you right in the gut rather than the head.  Guitars you can feel.

 

Swervedriver – Future Ruins – Album Review

Review for www.nomoreworkhorse.com

https://nomoreworkhorse.com/2019/01/11/swervedriver-future-ruins-album-review/

A Look Ahead To 2019 In Music

Article for www.nomoreworkhorse.com

https://nomoreworkhorse.com/2019/01/01/a-look-ahead-to-2019-in-music/

Top 10 Albums of 2015

Article for www.nomoreworkhorse.com

http://nomoreworkhorse.com/2015/11/30/top-10-albums-of-2015-killian-laher/

Swervedriver - Mezcal Head

Mezcal Head is Swervedriver’s second album, released in 1993.  It’s basically a feast of guitars, they hit a little harder than on debut Raise right from opening track For Seeking Heat.  Tracks like Duel and Blowin Cool are less shoegaze and more heavy, catchy rock.

A couple of the tracks fall a little flat, MM Abduction is fairly ordinary while the monotonous six and a half minute Last Train To Satansville feels twice as long.  Thankfully the rest of the album recovers from this lull, the remaining tracks are very consistent across the board, in the mould of Duel.  Final track You Find It Everywhere may actually be the pick of the bunch, ending the album with a flourish.

So not an album for introspective types looking for meaningful song titles/lyrics, but for guitar aficionados it’s well worth a listen.

Album Review: Various Artists – Fifteen Minutes: A Tribute to the Velvet Underground

The early 90s saw US underground rock godfathers the Velvet Underground finally receive the full-blown tribute by some of the early 90s European and American indie fraternity.

The album kicks off with a bang with Nirvana’s powerful version of Here She Comes Now where Kurt Cobain and co build up from a low growl to a visceral roar, vocally and musically finishing in a haze of distortion. Forgotten shoegazers Swervedriver take the once muted Jesus and transform it into a blissed-out, distorted anthem, all mumbled vocals and searing guitars.

Lee Ranaldo sounds unrecognizable from his dayjob in Sonic Youth as he slide-guitars his way through Stephanie Says. Things get really demented with Fatima Mansions’ electro-pop version of Lady Godiva’s Operation, Cathal Coughlan barking the lyrics like the inmate of a correctional facility, as chainsaws perform the ‘incisions’ in the lyrics!

Some of it doesn’t quite work, Echo and the Bunnymen turn Foggy Notion into one of their latter-day chug-along rockers. Stronger are the Wedding Present’s faithful homage to She’s My Best Friend and at the other extreme, the Screaming Trees’ desecration of What Goes On .

Like any tribute album, it’s an uncohesive and at times incoherent listen. But like any good tribute album, this makes you dig out the original material so in this regard, it succeeds.