| Prefixmag |
 When I lived in Los Angeles, I would visit my parents in New Jersey from time to time, and if I wanted to visit friends in the area, I'd have to borrow my dad's un-iPod friendly truck. It became the perfect opportunity for a sonic expoloration of my younger years. On one such trip I rediscovered Swervedriver’s 1991 debut, Raise, and quickly was reminded why I shouldn't ever have forgotten it.
Thankfully, Second Motion didn’t, and they’ve reissued and remastered Raise, with a couple of bonus tracks to boot. Swervedriver is a polished-up Dinosaur Jr, complete with riffs and textures but more melodically aggressive and punchy. If nothing else, Raise is a perfect driving record. The album’s lyrics are rife with references to cars and driving, especially the opening trifecta of “Sci Flyer,” “Pile-up” and, most blatantly, “Son of Mustang Ford.” These songs are aggressive and incessant, yet the bass lines are incredibly melodic, acting as more than just anchors for the electrifying guitars. Think Andy Rourke of the Smiths and you’re on the right track....full text |
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| Noripcord |
n the post-grunge nadir of the early nineties Swervedriver's first two albums – 1991's Raise and 1993's Mezcal Head – should have sealed their reputation as one of the finest British bands of the era. You don't need me to tell you that things didn't exactly pan out that way. Today's musical history books have Swervedriver down as little more than a footnote, erroneously lumped in with the grunge scene or, more commonly, the British shoegaze movement; if ever a band deserved a re-appraisal it is Swervedriver.
Looking back, there seem to be a handful of reasons behind the commercial failure of this Oxford band. For one thing they looked pretty strange, especially guitarist/singer Adam Franklin with his dreadlocked hair. The timing of their emergence probably didn't help either; the dense, atmospheric Raise was released when grunge was still flavour of the month in the UK; its successor Mezcal Head, a more polished rock album with a distinctly American influence, must have sounded like an unwelcome guest at the burgeoning Britpop dinner party. For one reason or another, Swervedriver just didn't seem to fit; the UK music press knew it and, crucially, the band's label Creation Records knew it. By the time 1995's Ejector Seat Reservation arrived, the folks at Creation were far too besotted with Oasis to bother promoting the album. Swervedriver were dropped shortly after its release and Alan McGee went on to win the NME Godlike Genius Award for 1995. No wonder a dejected Adam Franklin moved to the US shortly afterwards. Swervedriver's moment had passed....full text |
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| Austinchronicle |
| Swervedriver's reunion tour last year hinted at a new album, but this re-release of the UK quartet's 1991 debut, Raise, and 1993 follow-up Mezcal Head makes a better placeholder. The repackaged/remastered Raise appends four bonus cuts from whose sessions Japanese single "Andalucia" and "Kill the Superheroes," a B-side from "Son of Mustang Ford," are highlights. Revisiting Swerve's formative years reveals close parallels to Dinosaur Jr., only more spaced-out. In new liner notes, guitarist/singer Adam Franklin compares 1980s Oxford with Detroit, where their heroes the Stooges were from. The Motor City four explain Swervedriver's big-blast guitar sound and perhaps why Raise, despite being on rave indie label Creation, never seemed a product of early-1990s Brit-gaze. The sophomore album, originally on A&M, finds anthemic rave-ups ("Duel," "Last Train to Satansville") veering even further from the gauze, opener "For Seeking Heat" and "Girl on a Motorbike" perfecting the band's muscled, two-guitar groove. Mezcal Head's four extras, including a truncated "Never Lose That Feeling" and "forgotten classic" "Planes Over the Skyline," round out the goodies. More bonus tracks would have been nice, because two decades later, Swervedriver's wah-wah still feels relevant....full text |
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