Sway

Straightforward, polished shoegaze from Oakland/Philadelphia. More than MBV or Slowdive, the sound reminds me of Catherine Wheel’s Chrome (one of the best albums of the 90s, I think). It’s spaced out but crisply produced and heavy, with half-there vocals. As one my classmates from high school might have said, it’s “hecka sweet.” Favorites: 2, 4, 8. No FCCs.

1. (3:31)—Mid-tempo. Noisy opening. Starts moody and grows brighter.
2. *(2:35)—Slow, pummeling, grungy, catchy.
3. (5:01)—Slow, almost metallic. Nice, softer midsection.
4. *(6:11)—Slow, punishing. Think Jesu. Pretty ambient guitar intro. Hell yeah.
5. (4:14)—Slow, with extremely distorted guitars.
6. (6:39)—Slow, cavernous post-rock. Comparatively soft.
7. (4:25)—Medium-slow. More laidback in an MBV sort of way, kind of poppy.
8. *(3:24)—Slow, sugary plod. What a great chord progression.