Frow the Vaults:Thoughts on Swervedriver's Mezcal Head

(Originally posted on Glamorama, 2.12.2004)

A tidal wave is brewing somewhere off the east coast of America. We're talking the kind of thing that would get Patrick Swayze all excited and have Keanu Reeves chasing after him and robbing banks in a Nixon mask.

That tidal wave is nostalgia. Nostalgia for thirteen years ago to be exact.

80s revivalism is dead. If another Echo and The Bunnymen clone comes along, they should be flogged and put in the stocks as an example for other would be post-punkers. So where does that leave our eager young plagarists? You got it man, Shoegazer. Shoegazer indie is coming back with a vengeance. Don't even try to tell me that Ride only had two amazing songs. Don't you dare point out that if they didn't have probably the best drummer ever in Loz Colbert, they might never have been signed. Oh, and if you even try to suggest that My Bloody Valentine's "Loveless" is murky and impenetrable, you're out on your ass. End of story. Because Shoegazing is coming back friend. Gather up the Slowdive cassettes you're using to prop up the short leg of your desk, because a fortune is going to await you on Ebay.

But all joking aside, if one good thing can come out of a Shoegazer revival, it's the possibility that Swervedriver will finally get the credit they deserve. Criminally overlooked during the 90s, the Swervies were absolutely the best band of their time. Every album is essential, and their bsides were often better than the album cuts. While fan opinions differ about which LP is the best, this writer would cite "Mezcal Head". Sitting at the midpoint between the fiercer sound of "Raise" and the poppier "Ejector Seat Reservation", it's really the best of both worlds.

The only Shoegazer band comparable to Swervedriver when it comes to blunt musical force is Ride. But Ride practically defined the oft-levied criticism of Shoegazing: that it was all style and no substance...that the groups used an array of effect pedals to cover up what was often shoddy work. Swervedriver never fell into this trap. While they made avid use of pedals and alternate tunings, one could always translate one of their songs to acoustic guitar without losing the essence of the composition. Swervedriver's rhythm section were no slouches either. The drumming on "Mezcal Head" in particular is propulsive and complex without ever sounding showy. Primary evidence of this can be found on "Never Lose That Feeling", which features probably the only genuinely thrilling percussion breakdown in an indie song well, ever.

"Never Lose That Feeling" Promo:

The epic bad trip of "Duress" is the centerpiece of the album, as Franklin slurs: "When the dawn begins to creep, sunlight finds you in a heap, and how you wish that you could sleep" over repetitive tambourine and howling guitars. "Duel" is the closest thing the album has to a big single, with its sunny chords and anthemic chorus. But the album is at its best when it keeps things dark, like in the paranoid freakout of "Last Train To Satansville". The lyrics of this track are particularly striking:

You look like you've been losin' sleep
Said a stranger on a train
I fixed him with an ice cold stare and said
I've been havin' those dreams again
In one dream there's this girl I love
And we dance every wakin' breath
And in the other they've thrown me in a cell
And they're tryin' me for her death
I'm only young and young in love
As I hold that girl today
But I'm old and tired and in the cell
And I've nigh on withered away

Y'see my baby' gone away too long
And I'm chokin' back the tears
Disheveled star in a burnt out bar
And I'm talkin' in my drink
She promised me the world and more
How could she do this to me?
And now mine's tumblin' down around
But at least my eyes can see
And those stars in the sky are for me

So as this fagged-out tinsel town
Waves so-long to the sun
I lay here calmly on my bed
And the trigger of my gun
And should that no good woman show up
Dancin' from a dream
I'll squeeze it twice and not think twice
And relish every scream

Few bands can match the Swervies' potent brew of bewitching melodies and fearless psychadelia, let alone do it in such a consistent manner. Frontman Adam Franklin typically dealt with themes of abandonment and escape. If you've read Paul Auster's "The Music Of Chance", then you'll understand that Swervedriver's music would fit perfectly on the tape deck of Jim's Saab. This is music for lost souls, for outlaws, for dreamers...

:::For More Information, Be Sure And Check Out The Indispensable www.swervedriver.com:::