Notions of Centaurs and Krakens highlight and dissolve into Ride Of The Blueberry Winter, The Sw!ms’ full-length debut and a fantastical rendering layered with past-versus-present elements of classic rock and psycho-pop. With influences that abound between ‘60s Brit invader Graham Nash (The Hollies) and ancient Greek poet Hesiod, The Sw!ms channel a blended crust of tart melodies with liberating guitar rampages that vibrantly absorb as they launch upwards (see “Upstate Milkmaid”). “Knitting And Knitting” bravely reaches beneath itself, while “We Need…Lava” cheerfully hoots until reaching a string digression that concludes the setting of the sun. “What Place of Man” and “Yub-Yub” present deeper shades of the project with the evanescence and lyricism to seal the cusp.
Blueberry Winter happens to be the group’s third release following the EPs, Snackfood Junction (2004) and Sw!ms (2003), and was recorded at Brainwav Studios between ’04-’05. The album, with its embedded minotaur folklore, paves the way for its eccentric imagery, fortunately without irony or pretense, saying that it means what it says. At least we hope. Look for it February 28.
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