Swive - Stereophonic Stylings Volume 2

 

I adored Swive's 2023 debut album, so much so that it featured in our Best Albums Of The Year. The mix of male / female vocals from Indio Romero and Sidney Merritt worked beautifully. You can read the Review here and now we have Volume 2.

The two singles for the second volume promised much and also underlined the variety that the San Diego band provide. Fading Out is all Buckingham Fleetwood Mac-ish with a great guitar sound and Del Rio is more jaunty Tex / Mex with a wonderful chug.

Swive are not afraid to take chances and change direction, Indeed, one of the best songs here is a rock out, almost Psych, instrumental in Orange Crush. That ability to surprise is key to what they do. Merritt's vocal on the riff led Sky High is exceptional on what is the nearest the band will ever get to an anthem.

Lucky is great Pop Rock and Headlights is great West Coast Rock. Merritt's vocal on the former and Romero's on the latter show the benefit of the shared vocals. Chameleon mixes 90s Alt Rock with Sandy Denny-ish Classic Rock.

Mirrors is even more different with a sort of Red Hot Chilli Peppers opener and the brooding feel, a meandering joy. No Guarantees is built on a killer riff that just grips you and an incredibly strong chorus. Self Sabotage is wonderful jaunty Pop Rock.

The whole album is incredibly strong. Built on a splendid Guitar sound with an ability to go wherever they want to direction wise. I thought it would be difficult to better Volume 1. This has! Different to most around, it is a great listen.

You can listen to and buy the album here.

...........................

I Don't Hear A Single Albums Of The Year 2023 : 41-50

 

For the last few years We have compiled annual Best Of 's because these posts seem so popular and the aim of this Blog is to get exposure (and Sales) for the artists. A reminder that anything reviewed on I Don't Hear A Single is highly recommended. 

Narrowing things down to this 100 has been really difficult. The countdown is posted in reverse batches of 10. For each album, a song is embedded from the album and a link is provided to the IDHAS Review where you can find further details and how to listen or buy the album.

41 Soft Hearted Scientists - Waltz Of The Weekend      IDHAS Review

42 The Rallies - It Must Be Love      IDHAS Review

43 Sunfruits - One Degree      IDHAS Review

44 Real Terms - Vantage      IDHAS Review

45 Papernut Cambridge - Channel Suite      IDHAS Review

46 The High Strung - Address Unknown      IDHAS Review

47 French Alps Tiger - Switch Off All The Time      IDHAS Review

48 Dead Billionaires - Disaster Preparedness Coloring Book      IDHAS Review

49 Swive - Stereophonic Stylings Volume One      IDHAS Review

50 The Kynd - Timelines       IDHAS Review

......................................

Swive - Stereophonic Stylings Volume One

 

San Diego quartet Swive release their debut album and it really is rather good. It is hard to pin down where they fit best. There is a stunning versatility in what they do and the male and female vocals enhance this variety either as stand alone or joint vocalists.

Songs handled by Sid Merritt vocally allow her to generally rock things up. A great example is the 90s Indie Alt Rock of Diamond Path which moves along at an exhausting pace. But compare that to magnificent centrepiece that is Desert.

Desert is six and a half minutes of stunning West Coast Country Rock that packs a hell of a twang and some awesome Guitar work, particularly the outro which meanders wonderfully. As that solo progresses, you just stand up and applaud. Sung by Indio Romero, it underlines how the contrasting voices work so well.

Little Did I Know settles beautifully into a mellow-ish Classic Rock. It is easy to fall into the trap of thinking Merritt does the Rock and Romero does the poppier stuff. But then you listen to Cat Vs Vacuum and this Romero leading on a really noisy affair that you sense is desperate to be a Teenage Fan Club like song.

Something is great Pop Rock with a Power Pop Beat, whilst Race Car is a heavier Jefferson Airplane. But Bad Tendencies is splendid Indie Pop and a great example of how the joint vocals work so admirably. Another example of those voices is Fenix. Highly Recommended!

You can listen to and buy the album here. It is available on CD, Vinyl and as a download.

.......................