Swervedriver rule. Talk to anyone about their first experience listening to or seeing the band live for the first time and you’re bound to hear adjectives like “rocked”, “amazing” or “fucking awesome”. Their debut album Raise (Creation, 1991) stunned listeners, American audiences, and would soon defy the categorization of “shoegaze”; it’s simply a great rock album. The UK press labeled them as shoegazers right from the get-go because of their washy guitar sound. But the Oxford-based quartet excelled at making super-melodic rock that was both dreamy and technically dynamic. Adam Franklin's soaring vocals and screeching wah-wah leads turned heads in the music world and launched a wave of internet discussions about his tunings and tablature.
"Sci-Flyer" kicks off the album with a barrage of guitar noise and relentless wah-wah thanks to main man Adam Franklin, more reminiscent to J. Mascis and Led Zeppelin than a shoegaze wall-of-sound. “Pile Up” and “Sunset” showcases the band’s relentless rhythm section of bassist Adi Vines and drummer Graham Bonner, who eventually disappeared during their first North American tour only to emerge later in San Francisco with the notorious BJM. Knock-out singles “Son of Mustang Ford”, “Rave Down”, and “Sandblasted” are epic washes of sound with Franklin’s dynamite guitar riffs and melodies propelling the songs into space. The album never lets up, never gets boring, and emanates a freeing, wide-screen spirit unlike any bands coming out of England at that time.
After you buy Raise take a further look into the band’s catalog with Juggernaut Rides ’89-’98 on Sanctuary records. It contains all of their best work and many limited, out-of-print singles that emerged between albums and labels. Buy it here, you won’t be disappointed.
-Scott McDonald
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