Swervedriver Back in 2K8

The reunion of legendary Oxford, UK band Swervedriver has now been confirmed. Honestly, some of the best live shows I have ever witnessed are courtesy of the Swervies, who came from the same scene as Radiohead, but should have been bigger, as their music had power, hooks and melodies, along with razor-sharp instrumental prowess.

But the one thing Swervedriver did not have was the ear of the apathetic record industry, or a label (A&M and Creation in the early years) that knew what to do with them. Or in fact, a label that could stay in business until the end of their tour.

"Now that the press release has been officially issued, we at HSS HQ finally have the "ok" to let our friends know that a Swervedriver Reunion has been announced for '08. Details on dates are still coming together but some great news all the same!! Be sure to check out Adam and band who are currently on tour right now in support of his new record "Bolts of Melody". Tour dates are listed at www.hispeedsoul.com. Here's the official press release with the info on the Swervedriver reunion:

"After almost a 10-year long absence, the revered UK band SWERVEDRIVER plans to reform for an early 2008 worldwide tour. Swervedriver is Adam Franklin on guitar and vocals, Jimmy Hartridge on guitar, Steve George on bass, and Jez on drums. Swervedriver formed in Oxford, England in 1989 and released a series of EP's followed by their debut full-length, Raise, in 1991 on Creation Records in the UK and A&M Records in the U.S. Mezcal Head followed in 1993, then in 1995 Ejector Seat Reservation came out on Creation in the UK, but was only available as an import in the US. Their last release, 99th Dream, was released by Zero Hour in 1998. Tour dates for Swervedriver will be announced shortly. Adam Franklin is in the midst of a U.S. solo tour in support of Bolts of Melody, which was released this past June on Hi-Speed Soul."

Let the excitement begin! xoxo, Hi-Speed Soul

Wolf & Cub Channels Syd

by Dale Nixon

From the outset, it is clear that Wolf & Cub are coming from a different plane. Not simply the Aussie outback (the power trio in fact hails from the urban locale of Adelaide) but perhaps more accurately the astral outback.

From the 60's kitch-inspired wrap around digipack to the swirling murk of the band's 4AD debut release Vessels, it can all be a bit disorienting at first, with phase shifts and actual use of (gasp) “stereophonic sound”. Producer Tony Doogan (Mogwai, Super Furry Animals, Belle & Sebastian and Mountain Goats) knows his way around a mixing board, and endeavors to make a dinosaur footprint that pushes the spacial tolerances and rebound capacity of the speakers. And make no mistake, this is an album meant to be processed by the human ear at maximum room volume; headphones would only unduly contain the glacial spacial atmosphere.

The points of departure for Wolf & Cub are the pre-moonwalk earth circa when space was still a mystery and not full of hi-res digital cameras and space shuttle takeout wrappers. There is a lot of early Pink Floyd, Hawkwind as well as more obscure acts like Budgie and Blue Cheer in the groove. But the aural extravagance is not purely retro as the Spacemen 3, Jesus & Mary Chain, Spiritualized and pre-sellout Jane's Addiction also figure prominently in the baby batter. Vox man/guitarist/organist Joel Byrne has the early Perry Farrell lilt down to a science (without the former's coke-addled nasal inflections) combined with a liberal dose of the singer from the criminally and commercially under-appreciated UK act the Music. A tour with fellow rockers Dead Meadow could push the limits of modern heavy indie rock psych, along with the 9-volt battery lifespan of numerous effects pedals.

When the band stretches out to instrumentals, the quality remains high. Conundrum is a five minute tour de force phasing and delay effects that stands as the band's Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun. It's fairly easy to imagine the song being stretched to 15 or 20 minutes in a live setting, provided strobe and high-booted go-go girls are added to the mix. It is Syd's Floyd colliding with Sunn O))) – drone without the dreary.

It is also probably the album that their canis lupus brethren Wolfmother should have made. Thick on atmosphere and thicker in layered heft, bereft of distractions.

If the original Dr.Who had beamed down a hologram of pre-acid damaged Syd Barrett into the recording studio, it could not possibly sound more authentic and enthralling.

Because wherever he floats in the aether these days, Syd would be proud of Wolf & Cub.

The Stooges – The Weirdness

by Dale Nixon

Talk about an antagonym.

Actually, that word itself should probably be defined first. An internet creation for a word that has two contradictory meanings, i.e. Awful: Extremely unpleasant, ugly vs. Awe-inspiring [typically, a feeling of admiration].

Fancy wordplay aside, the Stooges “comeback” album reeks of frustration. This time, 34 years after the seminal explosion of Raw Power, it is not the frustration borne of the hopelessness triumvirate of sex, drugs and rock n' roll. It's more boredom, middle age and income potential.

That in and of itself is the crux of the problem. First off, the “weirdness” implied and promised by the album title is wholly lacking from beginning to end. It is an Iggy-as-maestro effort right down to the too clear vocal mix rising decibels above what should have been a seething swampy morass of Ron Asheton's guitar noise and the chainsaw backbeat ably provided by one Scott “Rock Action” Asheton.

At this point, I have to admit I've never been a big fan of the murky production/”recorded by” style of one Mr. Steve Albini. How about some bass in the mix, Steve? But it's hard to lay the blame at Albini's feet, as I get the feeling that Albini himself stood in awe during the recording process, and as such did frightfully little reining of Mr. Pop's lyrical excesses which blossom from annoying to full-blown retarded by mid-album; “She took all my money and didn't say thank you.”

Okay, Iggy, that is just what we needed. Another middle-aged rocker sloganeering about the inequality of alimony.

Lyrical depth is another area in which Pop's implied weirdness falls short of the mark. If you are going to be truly bizarre in this day and age, you have to put something forward a bit deeper or more shocking than “my idea of fun is killing everyone”. There are already people that have been there, done that, and rode the chair to prove it. Leave it nebulous. Be “dirt-y” and revel in it. I mean, for crissakes, Gary Glitter flies to Cambodia to buy 11-year old girls. Being “deep fried” really doesn't cut it.

And nothing dates a record as made for 2007 like a gratuitous reference to Dr. Phil.

It makes you wish for a snatch of the multi-dimensional brilliance that shod “I Wanna Be Your Dog”. Pop's trademark double entendres are singled out here. They fall flat, literally and figuratively, with a vocal style that relies on tunefulness and singing (never an Iggy strong suit), and distinctly lacks in spit and snarl. If you thought Pop's vocal inflections on Little China Girl were bad, get a load of the title track, which sounds like Pop doing a karaoke version of David Johansen's Buster Poindexter character.

A ripoff of a lounge singer version of an Igg-postor.

Of course, one would presume that Pop is simply content to enjoy steak, expensive red wine and cruising his Cadillac into the AARP commercial golden years. If his payback is to take the grey-crowned Mike Watt and the Asheton brothers into the cruise ship realm for guaranteed retirement income, that's fine.

But somehow I can't trust Iggy's motivations. It's almost as if he made a mediocre album on purpose, to put the notion of The Stooges as a superior unit to Iggy Pop, solo performer, to bed once and for all.

And I'm still on the fence about whether it should have even been called a Stooges album, because it sure isn't a comeback.

Whatever The Weirdness is, weird it is not.

Miss Kitty Did It!

by Dale Nixon

Check out this nugget gleaned from the March 15 edition of The Austin Chronicle.

SXSW 2007 wasted no time in reigniting issues between nightclubs and various regulatory bodies that never truly go away. The Scoot Inn's beer/wine license got yanked literally midsong at the Turbojugend Texas party. It still belonged to the previous owner, who called the TABC Wednesday and canceled. About 4pm, agents showed up and told the bar to shut down, and manager Joe Sebastian and staff were still trying to figure out a solution at press time

We presume that Miss Kitty K. Killy was somehow involved in drinking the bar dry, but that local officials saw fit to intervene before the hefty tab hit the counter. This was probably a good thing for the poisonedpens.com corporate Visa card. Either way, getting a bar closed in mid-party at 4:00 p.m. is a special accomplishment, and some might consider it a resume-worthy accomplishment.

Expect to see a full 2007 South by Southwest report from Miss Kitty after she returns from post-festival rehab.

Hopefully she will not have a shaved head.