 Remember Mansun? Towards the close of the last century they were heralded as England’s great rock hope after two critically acclaimed albums, but then as the 21st century arrived, Mansun left; falling apart after the release of their critically lambasted third album and they haven’t been seen since. Nottingham’s Swimming, it would appear, remember them only too well. Like Mansun they occupy a different space from their peers, but in terms of quality of output, sadly it is Mansun’s less impressive moments that Swimming recall.
As Swimming display a keen interest in all things aquatic on their double A-side “Panthalassa” / “Crash the Current” (Panthalassa was the vast oceanic area that surrounded Pangaea when the super continent was in existence), it may seem fitting that the band should be swimming against the tide of current musical trends. The problem is that not sounding like anyone else currently around doesn’t automatically equate to anything worth listening to – or at least, not repeatedly. Uniqueness can definitely perk interest, but it’s not enough to maintain it.
The main reason that Swimming don’t have the same substance as the bands from which they draw upon (the electronic shoe-gaze of M83 is present too) is that they simply don’t display the same level of songwriting.
You suspect that neither “Panthalassa” nor “Crash the Current” would stand up to close scrutiny if stripped down to their bare parts, which suggests they tried to put the roof on first. If they can go back to basics and master those, then Swimming’s refusal to follow the current vogue will mean they really will have the opportunity to stand out from the crowd.
You can’t display your own style until you’ve got the substance.
Last edited by altsounds : August 31, 2009 at 02:52 PM.
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| | | | Overall Rating | | 5 | | Vocals / Lyrics | | 5 | | Musicianship | | 7 | | Production | | 6 | | Creativity | | 6 | | Lastability | | 5 | | Reviewers Tilt | | 5 |
56% | |
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![Swimming - The Fireflow Trade [Album]](http://hangout.altsounds.com/file.png)
Swimming - The Fireflow Trade [Album]
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Swimming - Panthalassa/Crash the Current [Single]
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