DVDfever.co.uk - Richard Swift: The Atlantic Ocean CD reviewDVDfever.co.uk - Charts, News and Reviews of Blu-rays, DVDs, Games, CDs, Hardware, Laserdiscs, Cinema Films & more
After what can only called a strange album
– Music From The Films Of R/Swift, Oregon multi-instrumentalist Richard Swift finally plays it down the middle, with excellent results.
The Atlantic Ocean is a testament to his unique songwriting skills and musicianship. In the mould of say Harry Nilsson or Randy Newman, Swift has conjured-up some fine tunes, many of which would grace the BBC Radio 2 playlist.
There’s nothing grand going on here, but what he’s created with a simple sound (and instruments), is top drawer, as he effectively straddles several genres and American songbooks.
Atlantic Ocean owes its thrust and beat to Motown’s Funk Brothers and 80s synth-pop, whereas closer Lady Luck draws on the falsetto box of Smokey Robinson’s balladeering.
Sandwiched between these two contrasting gems are playful excursions such as the bouncy foot-tapper The Original Thought with a quirky nod to music hall, a la Randy Newman, especially the vocal.
On Ballad Of Old What’s His Name, produced by Mark Ronson no less, he’s secured the services of, now wait for it, Ryan Adams (gasp!), Ronson and (bigger gasp!) Sean Lennon, who knows a thing or two about timeless music. Collectively, their dreamy backups are a thing of beauty.
The strangest fusion of all happens on Bat Coma Motown.
He gets the beat going with a retro Motown rhythm sugared by brass and pinging banjo creating the oddest sound, but it’s the standout track by far.
Then, as if all this genre-hopping wasn’t enough, he plays a blinder by doing a slower 21st century equivalent of Lady Madonna – A Song For Milton Feher.
1. The Atlantic Ocean
2. The Original Thought
3. Ballad Of Old What’s His Name
4. R.I.P.
5. Already Gone
6. Hallelujah, Goodnight!
7. The First Time
8. Bat Coma Motown
9. The End Of An Age
10. A Song For Milton Feher
11. Lady Luck
DVDs reviewed by the editor are watched on a Panasonic TXW32R4 32" widescreen TV
connected to either a Creative Dxr2 DVD-ROM player or Microsoft Xbox and
played through a Sony STR-DB930 amplifier.
PC games reviewed by the editor are on:
Since Nov 2005: Intel Pentium D 830 3.0Ghz, 1Gb RAM, 128Mb nVidia GeForce 6700XL, Windows XP
Since Aug 2003: Intel Pentium 4 2.66Ghz, 512Mb RAM, 128Mb GeForce4 MX440 graphics, Windows XP
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Since Jun 2002: Intel Pentium III 600Mhz, 384Mb RAM, Windows 98 SE, 64Mb ATI Radeon 8500LE
Since May 2000: Intel Pentium III 600Mhz, 384Mb RAM, Windows 98 SE, Voodoo 3 3000 AGP
Review & concert pics copyright © Elly Roberts, 2004-2010.