The Swords Project |
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One certainty about 2003 is that when it begins to draw to a darkened close, Hail to the Thief shall be topping many of the ‘Album of the Year’ charts. It’s unlikely that the Swords Project will be blessed with such a glorious honour, though. Well, the proverb always tells you, “fortune favours the brave,” but in musical terms, perhaps that should read as “fortune favours the brave if you are called Radiohead.” Who knows? Maybe some miracle will occur and the Swords Project will overcome the odds.
Let us not get off on the wrong foot, though. The Swords Project does not sound like, nor do they wish to be Radiohead. It is for the best, as there is never a more deathly curse than such a comparison for any rock band. The one similarity which does remain, however, is that the Swords Project are carrying the same ambition to ignore the boundaries of modern contemporary music and play by their own rules. Certainly not the easy route to fame and wealth.
Hailing from Portland, Oregon, the band currently features six multi-talented musicians combining to produce one of the most impressive soundscapes of the year: Drums, instrumentation and vocals working towards a complex structure of harmony, yet forming a spectacular image of clarity with the results.
The original release of Entertainment Is Over If You Want It was opened by ‘City Life’, now track 2. This began with a misleading intro which would tease you into suspecting Entertainment… was just another piece of ambient electronica allowing you to play ‘spot the sound of the fork rattling in the dishwasher’. Confusingly, this re-released version now comes with a new opener titled ‘01’ or ‘Untitled’ depending on who you listen to, and this adds another minute and a half of gentle ambience to the opening of the album. However, this does not affect the key moment in ‘City Life’ when the distorted drums eventually tear through the surface noise and unleash the chaotic beauty within.
Of course, I do carry a slight twinge of fear whenever I use the term soundscape as it so easily abused. For the moment, I shall stand by my convictions as it feels deserving in this case. Layer after layer of carefully positioned audio is distributed across all seven tracks. Every note sounds like it has been placed accurately on a delicate path designed to cause specified reactions in your mind. Every blip on an oscilloscope screen having gone through an agonizing process of elimination just to determine whether it is strong enough to survive. Nothing is wasted, and why should it be?
Throughout, the vocals by Corey Ficken sit low in the mix, yet they also remain appealing and suitable. Instead of demanding attention, they merely swim in a pool with the other instrumentation as no part is more important than the other. It is the combination that gives them strength. Saying that, I am desperate to single out the bass playing, again by Ficken, and also the string orchestration of Liza Rietz. I’m trying not to, but oops, I just did.
Of the seven songs presented, nothing is predictable. In fact, every listen continues to bring something new to my attention, which I never seem to think as much as I used to in my youth. Perhaps that’s down to my jaded 25-year-old hearing system and the constant ringing in my head. On this album though, your favourite parts sneak up on you and reel you in beyond your control.
Apart from my enthusiasm for their music and ordering you to go and find a copy immediately, it is really difficult to tell you what they actually sound like though. Perhaps I could say that it is indie rock written in the style of classical. Or maybe from another perspective it is electronica made with warmth and organic components. There is also the comparisons in my head which call up instrumental acts such as Mogwai and Godspeed You Black Emperor, but for me Entertainment… has much more heart and sentiment than either of those can create; at least when it comes to complete album comparisons.
No matter who it is compared to though, it is a quality album and an interesting aural experience in the process. I may be wrong with my previous doom and gloom, and maybe the world will fall at the feet of the Swords Project. They certainly deserve success, but no matter what, they are a wonderful discovery for me, and that’s what it’s all about… me, me, and me. Oh, and the Swords Project.
Steven McCarron
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