Swervedriver - Raise (Album Review)

 

Swervedriver - Raise

(1991)


My copy: 2018 reissue on red transparent vinyl by Music On Vinyl


Swervedriver were one of many UK based rock bands that jumped in on the shoegazing bandwagon in the early 90s. Where bands like Slowdive and My Bloody Valentine opted for intense, layered noise, Swervedriver instead went for the more songwriting focused stylings of bands such as Ride. While I generally find Ride’s take on shoegaze boring, Swervedriver are able to mix dense tones with impressively layered guitar melodies to create a snappy but grand take on the style. 

“Sci-Flyer” kicks things off with psych influence and it becomes clear how crucial the heavy drum and bass presence are throughout all of the album. The vocals are your typical “too cool” style of British crooning that fits right in with the blazing guitar solos on a track like “Son Of Mustang Ford.” Oftentimes with shoegaze, the production is as much of a tool for creating weird sounds as the actual instruments. On Raise, the production is mostly uniform; it is slick and well suited, but there are no real interesting tricks or prolific moments. Raise mostly impresses with its layered songwriting as tracks will often feature tons of guitar lines bouncing around at once, and jump to a different progression on a moment's notice. 

“Deep Seat” is one of the simplest songs on the album with a heavy and almost dark bassline, but is one of the best for this reason. The simple structure allows the band to mess around with different noises and riffs to surround the locked rhythm section. “Deep Seat” also has the catchiest vocals, and is a great one-two punch alongside “Rave Down” which is somewhat repetitive in the best possible way. Swervedriver seems to be at their best with the tracks that have an innate groove that gives a deeper life to the sometimes overwhelming amount of guitar tracks that sputter and crackle in the background. 

By the time you get to “Sunset,” “Feel So Real” and “Sandblasted” you start to recognize a sort of formula in the choice of certain effects and when they’ll be used. Raise is a great album, but one that relies heavily on a single palette of sounds. There are stripped-down moments, and ambient breathers but they are few and far between. “Lead Me Where You Dare…” is a good change of pace, channeling a groovy jangling 1970s guitar sound with fun bass and drums. The album ends with a charming reversed rendition of the main riff from this final track. 

Raise is an album that feels perfect for an excursion to the beach; full of bluesy hard-rock riffs and sun-bleached production, it exudes a sense of youthfulness, and is far happier than a lot of other UK shoegazing projects from the same era. Check this album out if you want something similar to Ride or Lush but heavier and faster with a more homogenized production. 

This copy is good quality and usually sells for under 30 dollars.


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