Swervedriver question

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So, I'm working on a piece that rather tangentially refers to Swervedriver. I'm not about to blow a whole paragraph on them, so I was wondering if it would suffice to merely call them Shoegazers.
If not, what would be a better five word or less description?

― Horace Mann (Horace Mann), Wednesday, 28 May 2003 16:49 (twenty-two years ago)

rock

― Mr Noodles (Mr Noodles), Wednesday, 28 May 2003 16:56 (twenty-two years ago)

okay, this piece is for a very broad audience who equate "rock" with Nickleback.

― Horace Mann (Horace Mann), Wednesday, 28 May 2003 16:58 (twenty-two years ago)

emo.

― ddb, Wednesday, 28 May 2003 17:03 (twenty-two years ago)

You asked, I gave a simple answer.
I just finished reading an article on Adam Franklin so I'll see what they sayed. It may not be true but you could almost say Britpop if you're worried about your audience.

Emo???

― Mr Noodles (Mr Noodles), Wednesday, 28 May 2003 17:04 (twenty-two years ago)

You asked, I gave a simple answer.
That's why I qualified my query.
I think Britpop might be too obvious. I don't know. I don't want people to think it'll be like Blur or Kula Shaker.
Specifically, I'm talking about Adam Franklin and the fact that All Systems Go will be backing him up for a Swerve-Set after his Toshack set.

― Horace Mann (Horace Mann), Wednesday, 28 May 2003 17:07 (twenty-two years ago)

Haven't heard him on his tour, but Swervedriver could be referenced to Hendrix if you really wanted to dumb it down.

― Mr Noodles (Mr Noodles), Wednesday, 28 May 2003 17:11 (twenty-two years ago)

wasn't the thing with Swervedriver that while they were kind of shoegazery, they were also the kind of band you would like if you were into American grunge?

― DV (dirtyvicar), Wednesday, 28 May 2003 17:21 (twenty-two years ago)

I can do it in 4 words:

"shoegazer with metal hair"

In other news, I just bought _99th Dream_ offa ebay...

― Kingfish (Kingfish), Wednesday, 28 May 2003 17:23 (twenty-two years ago)

Kingfish nailed it.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 28 May 2003 17:26 (twenty-two years ago)

I can't find my copy of Mezcal Head. Am I right in remembering it was great? Should I re-purchase?

― Miranda (Miranda), Wednesday, 28 May 2003 18:41 (twenty-two years ago)

Ned's was the opinion that mattered here (having established himself as the authority on Swervedriver in other threads), so actually Kingfish's was the one that actually mattered, I just didn't know it until Ned told me so.
ILM is like the army sometime.

― Horace Mann (Horace Mann), Wednesday, 28 May 2003 18:43 (twenty-two years ago)

Yes, it is urgent and key.

― Mr Noodles (Mr Noodles), Wednesday, 28 May 2003 18:52 (twenty-two years ago)

and slightly homoerotic

― Horace Mann (Horace Mann), Wednesday, 28 May 2003 18:53 (twenty-two years ago)

one of the only bands of the shoegazing genre that transcended the limitations. 'ejector seat reservation' was a masterpiece of layers of guitars and blood ruch harmonies. i still rate the band as a lost classic. .. reference re 'All Systems Go' - this the punk pop band on Bad Taste ? weird combination if true
go go gadget ..

― mark e (mark e), Wednesday, 28 May 2003 18:57 (twenty-two years ago)

you could just say they were duds. they didn't really rock because they never raised anyone's blood pressure and they didn't do anything all that pretty either, i'd call them stoners.

― keith (keithmcl), Wednesday, 28 May 2003 19:04 (twenty-two years ago)

Swervedriver sounded like a riff rock group that got into the textures off of shoegazer bands.

The way the two guitarists would get dualing riffs going was kind of like the MC5 or Sonic Youth, except more spacey than mean. They don't get the wall of drone going like Ride or MBV, so in a way they were a bit more trad. guitar group.

― earlnash, Wednesday, 28 May 2003 19:33 (twenty-two years ago)

raise i remember was pretty good at the time. there was a song on the second side that reminded me of something off loveless, i think it was called "sunset"

i remember when there 2nd album (mezcal head) came out, i was disappointed... except for the single (duel? i'm sorry i'm blanking on all these names, i'm on the phone) which was really really good, the best song of their's imho. never heard them after that.

saw them 2x though. ned was at one of the shows i think! ;-)

― gygax! (gygax!), Wednesday, 28 May 2003 19:48 (twenty-two years ago)

Probably, I saw them about five times or so. Opening for Ned's Atomic Dustbin, a promo and a club show early 1992, opening for Soundgarden May 1992, then some date in 1993 or 1994 somewhere in LA.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 28 May 2003 19:50 (twenty-two years ago)

There were certainly simillar elements between Swervedriver and the shoegazer horde (Lush, Ride, Chapterhouse, etc.), but Swervedriver were a much louder endeavor altogether.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Wednesday, 28 May 2003 19:59 (twenty-two years ago)

Duel was the single, though my favorite was Last Train To Satansville from that album.

― Mr Noodles (Mr Noodles), Wednesday, 28 May 2003 20:01 (twenty-two years ago)

LTtoS is the only song I'm really familiar with. Hence the question.

― Horace Mann (Horace Mann), Wednesday, 28 May 2003 20:02 (twenty-two years ago)

94 at the troubador... ;-)

― gygax! (gygax!), Wednesday, 28 May 2003 21:08 (twenty-two years ago)

I suppose by one line description for them is "shoegazers that grew up on biker movie soundtracks rather than refrigerator noises"

― Chris Barrus (Chris Barrus), Thursday, 29 May 2003 00:06 (twenty-two years ago)

well, I kinda don't like to talk down to my readers, even though they're assholes.

― Horace Mann (Horace Mann), Thursday, 29 May 2003 14:14 (twenty-two years ago)

"one good song"

― jel -- (jel), Thursday, 29 May 2003 16:48 (twenty-two years ago)

"crying music for driving"

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Thursday, 29 May 2003 22:40 (twenty-two years ago)

wasn't the thing with Swervedriver that while they were kind of shoegazery, they were also the kind of band you would like if you were into American grunge?

Wasn't that Jacob's Mouse?

― Nordicskillz (Nordicskillz), Thursday, 29 May 2003 22:46 (twenty-two years ago)

oh lord no. JM didn't have two tunes to rub together. They weren't shit, just.. uh.. not very tuneful.

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Thursday, 29 May 2003 22:47 (twenty-two years ago)

two years pass...

To me, they transended the shoegaze stereotype. Those dense grrrr guitars on Raise and Mezcal Head are so undeniably emotional to me, and when Jez throws in those fast fills... Maybe it's just the way the albums were recorded, but their SOUND is so rigged and fierce to me, they rocked way way more than ANY shoegaze band of their time, no exceptions.

I still think 99th Dream is their best album. Those rich syrupy guitars..the melodies.. and Adam's vocals were never stronger. Atmospheric hard rock masterpiece. And a gorgeous album cover.

― fizzcaraldo (Justin M), Saturday, 11 February 2006 10:42 (twenty years ago)

i'm really sad that i cannot get into mezcal head at all. i felt there was nothing there to dig into. it seemed all surface. didn't feel like true driving music either. more like motorbikes on ramps music.

― Susan Douglas (Susan Douglas), Sunday, 12 February 2006 03:43 (twenty years ago)

bext train to seitanville dude.

― bell labs (bell_labs), Sunday, 12 February 2006 05:02 (twenty years ago)

err next, i have typing prblms "setian"

― ˚…ælabs (bell_labs), Sunday, 12 February 2006 05:12 (twenty years ago)

olivier setaien

― bel˜˜˜˜˜ ˜¬å∫ß (bell_labs), Sunday, 12 February 2006 05:14 (twenty years ago)

sufjian suffejåen

― lindsay bell kay labs (bell_labs), Sunday, 12 February 2006 05:24 (twenty years ago)

You spend this much time discussing this band without anyone mentioning the fact that they are a bunch of racist idiots? You peeple are truly clueless.

― Righteous Bro, Sunday, 12 February 2006 06:13 (twenty years ago)

worst random googler impression ever

― electric sound of jim (and why not) (electricsound), Sunday, 12 February 2006 06:24 (twenty years ago)

You spend this much time discussing this band without anyone mentioning the fact that they are a bunch of racist idiots? You peeple are truly clueless.

-- Righteous Bro

Wrong band!

As far as Swervedriver is concerned I have everything they ever put out, so I was a major fan. Some of the best driving music you can get but liked 99th Dream the least, I should throw that on.

― BeeOK (boo radley), Sunday, 12 February 2006 08:42 (twenty years ago)

my posts on this thread really don't make any sense (apparently i am able to embarrass myself drunkenly even when i don't leave the house - good to know).

― bell labs (bell_labs), Sunday, 12 February 2006 21:29 (twenty years ago)

six years pass...

Those wacky neo-Nazi Oxford shoegazers have struck again. Apparently.

https://twitter.com/Algerian_Goalie/status/227418397154086914/photo/1

― I want to smother him in electronic butter. (White Chocolate Cheesecake), Monday, 23 July 2012 15:20 (thirteen years ago)

credit goes to the quietus for posting it first

― Algerian Goalkeeper, Monday, 23 July 2012 15:24 (thirteen years ago)

Fave song 'Girl On A Panzer Tank'?

― Algerian Goalkeeper, Monday, 23 July 2012 15:27 (thirteen years ago)

mezcal skinhead

― am0n, Monday, 23 July 2012 15:42 (thirteen years ago)

God damn. This weather makes me want to get in a beat-up Ford with all the windows down and blast Raise as loud as the stereo will go and drive all night until the oncoming headlamps look like space aliens coming down in the hills.

― I want to smother him in electronic butter. (White Chocolate Cheesecake), Wednesday, 25 July 2012 08:52 (thirteen years ago)

I really want to go for a road trip, but I don't know anyone in London that can drive. ;_;

― I want to smother him in electronic butter. (White Chocolate Cheesecake), Wednesday, 25 July 2012 08:54 (thirteen years ago)

This was the biggest difference between London shoegaze bands and Oxford shoegaze bands IMO - Oxford shoegaze bands all had cars.

I drove a lot in 91/92 so it made more sense. Now I take the train, which has a different rhythm.

― I want to smother him in electronic butter. (White Chocolate Cheesecake), Wednesday, 25 July 2012 08:56 (thirteen years ago)

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