I Wasn't Born To Lose You

Shoegaze out west on the American open highway. That's the best description I've heard of Swervedriver's music - it's crunchy, jangly, dense, and dreamy (but they're not from the states). Not sure the backstory behind this reconvening, but I'm guessing it's part of the 90s shoegaze reformation movement (MBV, Slowdive last year, etc). They're back and it's polished as ever, but as rocking and driving as ever too. There are two feet dangling out a car window in the sepia-washed album cover. That's about all you need to know.

I'm going to end with the words of Your Imaginary Friend, because they capture more than I could: "In 1990 London's indie-rock guitar scene was developing a distinctive new psychedelic sound: swirling, dreamy, mysterious and very much of the British Isles. One band stood out by hot-wiring that sound with the subversive energy of some American bands of the era and that band was Swervedriver. They had the liquid distortion of shoegaze combined with the cool swagger of Hüsker Dü, Sonic Youth, and Dinosaur Jr - giving them a unique sound and attitude."

*1. Shimmering interlocking lush guitars and jangly head bobbing greatness. (4:59)
2. Starts off closer to MBV blown out noise pop sound and leans toward chunkier hard rock. (3:26)
*3. Fuzzy warm hooks and layer upon layer of guitar lines dancing on rays of sunshine. (5:29)
4 Mid-tempo straightforward poppy rhythm. (2:53)
5. Hypnotic lengthy one. (6:44)
*6 Rumbling builds to a just flat-out gorgeous melody/chorus. (5:20)
7 Deeper stoner fuzzy groove. (5:40)
8. One FCC hardly decipherable, but just a glorious fuzzy, noisy one to let fly in safe harbor. (3:59)
9. Weird time signatures seem to involve 6/8 (at least in places). Kind of ghoulish and weird yet melodic. (4:33)
10. Slow rolling drum build and wells of guitar prettiness. (5:39)